Lambie love goes a little over the top

The outspoken senator made life difficult for the Liberals, says Paul Murray

JACQUI

Lambie quit the Senate this week after working out she is a dual citizen.

Her teary farewell was a nice moment of honesty, but some of the reaction to it has been ridiculous.

One press gallery type said she was “The bogan Australia fell in love with”.

This was typical of the treatment she got going out the door for exactly the same reason Barnaby Joyce did — she qualified for dual citizenship.

In the end, Lambie was in exactly the same situation as fellow Tasmanian Stephen Parry, who tried to hide until after the High Court made its ruling on everyone else.

The truth behind the soft touch lies in her voting record.

The gallery loved her because she made life harder for the Liberals and voted against the Government almost 70 per cent of the time.

The media say they love her because she was “colourful”. No, they liked her because she was a thorn in the Government’s side. Another near miss for the right to die with dignity WHILE euthanasia laws failed to pass in New South Wales this week, I have new hope that the day is coming when this is going to happen.

Twenty votes to 19 was the final decision of the state’s upper house and it follows a tied vote in South Australia last year.

These votes are getting closer with every year and it won’t be long until a parliament gives the people what we have consistently said we want: a right to die on our own terms when illness is going to take us in the cruelest and most painful way.

As the years go by, I am increasingly libertarian; put simply, your right to say no should not limit my right to say yes.

Now I’m not talking about illicit dugs or breaking whatever law you want. I’m saying, that while I respect your decision not to go down this path, please don’t stop me from having that choice.

So for those of us with hope on this issue, all eyes are on the Victorian upper house to see what it does when they vote in two weeks.

Everyone says it will be close, but will it be a close yes or no? Paul Murray is a broadcaster with Sky News who is taking a few days off to be with his new daughter Zadie and her big sister Asher. He will not appear on Paul Murray Live on Monday.