Euthanasia election issue
CANBERRA: After decades of campaigning, New South Wales yesterday became the last state in Australia to pass laws allowing people with a terminal illness to voluntarily end their own life while Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, if reelected tomorrow, his government would not remove a ban on voluntary assisted dying in the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
Campaigners say they will now take their fight to the territories.
Yesterday’s decision in New South Wales means within 18 months people with a diagnosis of a fatal illness in NSW will be able to access voluntary assisted dying.
After the Bill passed, Morrison said, ‘‘There are differences between territories and states and . . . we’re not proposing any changes.’’
Independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich introduced the private member’s Bill to the lower house last year with a record 28 cosponsors from across the political spectrum.
He said it was not fair people in the ACT and the Northern Territory were being blocked from reform by a ‘‘stubborn person’’.
‘‘I’m standing here today with members of the Labor Party, the Liberal Party, and we’ve got strong support within the National Party,’’ Greenwich said.
Labor’s election commitments would cost the Australian federal Budget $A18.9 billion ($NZ20.8 billion) in extra spending, it said yesterday but it identified $A11.5 billion in budget savings over four years. ‘‘The modest $7.4 billion difference between the two budgets is made up of key investments in childcare, investments in training and education, and investments in cleaner and cheaper energy,’’ shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said. Chalmers said Labor would inherit some of the ‘‘trickiest economic conditions’’ a new government had inherited since World War 2, including $A1 trillion in debt. Earlier in the week, the Coalition said it would improve the budget bottom line over the next four years by roughly $A1 billion, by driving down spending on the public service. Labor finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher said her party would focus on cutting consultants used in the public service. She said Labor’s approach would include $18.9 billion in new spending, offset by $11.5 billion in savings. She said Labor’s approach was designed around driving economic growth and boosting productivity. Gallagher said other sectors with proposed big spends include aged care, feefree TAFE [polytechnic] positions and growing the alternative energy sector. Gallagher pointed out that Labor had made commitments across the country, including in seats the party did not expect to win. The Coalition’s costings were done by the departments of Finance and Treasury. Labor has used the Parliamentary Budget Office. — AAP/agencies