Euthanasia push in new WA parliament – SBS

Posted: March 27, 2017 at 5:22 am

A new bid for euthanasia laws will be presented when the Western Australian parliament resumes.

WA Greens MP Robin Chapple says he will work with new Labor minister Alannah MacTiernan to introduce mirror legislation to the upper house, as the state's laws do not allow joint bills.

Mr Chapple told AAP on Monday they were waiting on the outcome of a Victorian inquiry into the best model for euthanasia before moving forward and were looking for Liberal Party support after fellow advocate Tony Simpson lost his seat at the recent election.

Premier Mark McGowan supports voluntary euthanasia but he doesn't wish to politicise the issue by introducing law reform, so he would be giving Labor MPs a conscience vote on the bill.

Health Minister Roger Cook told The Sunday Times he supported euthanasia and that he would welcome a parliamentary committee inquiry prior to a bill being introduced.

Mr Chapple said that while the Greens had a euthanasia policy, he was working with Ms MacTiernan to ensure politics didn't prevent progress.

"We don't want people to see it as a Greens bill, we don't want the politics to be involved with this," he said.

"Politics gets in the way of good legislation."

He said the South Australian government handled a euthanasia bill poorly in November last year, which resulted in a rushed vote against legalising the right for terminally ill patients to end their lives.

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Euthanasia push in new WA parliament - SBS

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