2019-03-21
As the Assembly’s end of life committee wraps up, the Greens today again called on the Federal Government to lift restrictions barring the ACT from determining its own legislation—restrictions that deny the rights and wishes of terminally ill Canberrans to end their lives on their own terms.
It comes as the ACT Legislative Assembly’s Select Committee on End of Life Choices in the ACT, of which Caroline Le Couteur was a member, will today table its recommendations.
Despite being an ‘end of life’ committee, none of the Committee’s recommendations today address the issue of voluntary assisted dying.
The ACT Greens believe this issue should be debated in our Assembly, where this complex and often emotional issue can be extensively canvassed by the Canberra community. Unfortunately, the Federal Government is standing in the way of the ACT’s capacity to debate and legislate in relation to voluntary assisted dying. To have any such debate at this time would be unfair to Canberrans because it will create an illusion that’s its possible, when it’s clearly not.
The ACT is currently subject to the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997, an imposed federal law. The Federal Government added a section to the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 to specifically prevent the ACT from making laws which would permit voluntary assisted dying.
“While the Greens support the committee’s extensive recommendations, it’s absurd that Canberrans should be prevented from determining our own laws, despite being granted self-government almost thirty years ago,” Greens MLA and spokesperson for Seniors Caroline Le Couteur said today.
“The Greens believe that the people of the ACT, just like all Australians, should have the right to make choices about their own life and death. At the end of their life, our citizens should have the right to die with dignity, how and when they choose.”
“The Greens want to see governments across Australia take action to create a compassionate, safe and workable scheme for voluntary assisted dying,” Australian Greens candidate for the Senate Dr Penny Kyburz said today.
“Canberrans shouldn’t be denied the opportunity to debate and legislate on the issues that matter to them by Senators on the Hill, like Zed Seselja, from debating and legislating this issue in the Territory’s Parliament.
“The ACT is being prevented by a Federal Government that is otherwise unwilling to act on an issue that is of great concern to many people in the community.”
In August 2018, the ACT Greens MLAs proudly stood with a majority of ACT parliamentarians to remonstrate the decision of 36 federal Senators to oppose the rights of Territories to make their own decisions. ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja voted against the legislation that would have allowed Territorians to debate the issue of voluntary assisted dying in our Assembly. The legislation was defeated by two votes.
"Zed Seselja's vote in the Senate was instrumental in blocking voluntary assisted dying for the ACT. Zed needs to go."
“The most powerful way to vote the ACT Liberal out of the Senate is to vote Green. At this election, Canberrans who care about opening up the debate on voluntary assisted dying and restoring our territory rights must vote Green to elect an advocate on this issue - and kick Zed out," concluded Dr Kyburz.