Page 2882 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 September 1994
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It is obvious that, on the other side of this house, we have five members of the Liberal Party who will not be supporting this Bill and we have one member of the Liberal Party who will - or have they gagged you now as well, Mrs Carnell?
Mr De Domenico: What does that have to do with it?
MR LAMONT: I think it is interesting for that point to be brought out, because Mrs Carnell was a duly elected member of this Assembly on the Select Committee on Euthanasia.
In my memory, Mrs Carnell understood quite clearly what would very probably happen as far as the recommendations were concerned. It was a tripartite committee. It was representative of all the constituent parts of this Assembly, save for Mr Stevenson, who was not on the committee. So it was understood that if this Assembly's committee, duly constituted and elected, prepared a considered report, as I believe this is - with one exception, being the preface, but that has now been dealt with - it would very probably end up in a legislative package being brought before the Assembly. In fact, the committee itself recommended the form of that, and I believe that it took a quite responsible position in doing so. I, unlike Mr Kaine, believe that there is substantial support within our community for the introduction of legislation of this nature. I did not concur - I said so in the report and have said so repeatedly in this place - that there was wide community support, in my view and in the view of the majority of this committee, for taking the step that Mr Moore originally proposed.
The type of nonsense that was put forward by Mr Kaine in his address in opposition to this Bill was refuted comprehensively by the decision of the committee to make the recommendations that it did. It took into account the types of issues represented in the community about active euthanasia, Mr Kaine, and, in my view, quite sensibly dealt with them in the body of its report. Indeed, it also dealt with them - - -
Mr Kaine: Why did you not stop there?
MR LAMONT: It has stopped there.
Mr Kaine: No, it has not.
MR LAMONT: Yes, it has.
Mr Kaine: We have a Bill in front of us.
MR LAMONT: That is dead right, because that is what the committee recommended. It said, "This is the matter that we have tested. This is how we believe that it should now be dealt with. It should be dealt with to this point, and this point only".
Mr Kaine: I do not agree with you.
MR LAMONT: That is your right, Mr Kaine; but that is not what you have said.
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