Page 683 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 31 March 2021
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Further, pursuant to the right to equality and non-discrimination in sections 2 and 26 of the covenant, individuals are entitled to enjoy their human rights without distinction or discrimination of any kind. The ACT has given effect to these obligations through the Human Rights Act. These human rights, under the ACT Human Rights Act and as a matter of international law, may be subject only to reasonable limits that can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. Can what is occurring be demonstrably justified? The federal government need to very carefully, and very urgently, review their position on this. With this motion today, we are bringing this to the attention of all federal parliamentarians, and we are imploring leadership to be shown among them all.
It is one thing to not support voluntary assisted dying. There are a variety of views. I accept and acknowledge that there are some who do not, and will not ever, support voluntary assisted dying, for a variety of reasons, and that some of those people are members, representatives, in this place. I accept that. I have a different view, of course, but I accept that there is a diverse range of views, and our motion rightly emphasises this.
What I cannot accept is a view that supports Australian citizens having different democratic rights in their own country by virtue of where they live. Someone who lives 15 minutes away, across the border in Queanbeyan, for example, has more rights than any citizen who lives in the ACT. Regardless of any person’s view on voluntary assisted dying, there should be no controversy in allowing the ACT and Northern Territory to decide for themselves whether to introduce such legislation, and allow citizens of the ACT and Northern Territory an equal opportunity to legislate on this matter if their communities so desire.
That is at the heart of this motion and that is at the heart of our appeal to the federal parliament—that we should be able to have the debate on voluntary assisted dying here, in this chamber, as representatives on behalf of our citizens, like the states get to do. It is what should be guaranteed to us as a democratic right, and not have a decision dictated to us.
I appeal today to federal parliamentarians to consider how they are treating Canberrans by allowing this situation to persist—the disrespect with which the ACT Legislative Assembly is being treated—and to take action with us and for us.
Finally, this motion invites leaders, party spokespersons and other interested MLAs to sign a letter to all federal parliamentarians, all members and senators, which attaches the terms of this motion. I ask that all members in this place treat this invitation in the good faith in which it is intended, to sign the letter, to set aside their personal views or beliefs on voluntary assisted dying—a different issue—and to stand up for the rights of the people that they represent. I warmly welcome this motion being co-sponsored by Mr Rattenbury and Ms Lee. Mr Rattenbury’s and the ACT Greens’ views are well known in this place, and I look forward to them being reaffirmed today.
In 2018, during the remonstrance debate, I remarked that I was very disappointed by how absent Canberra Liberals’ voices had been in the lead-up to the vote in the Senate.
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