Page 2884 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 September 1994
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I do not regard it as a necessary first step to active euthanasia. I believe that the incremental approach to that question originally presented to this house, which I hope will be adopted by the Assembly in the form of endorsement of the legislation today, is the appropriate way to go. If you have read my report, and particularly my preface, which has been circulated - would you like me to read it into the transcript?
Mr Moore: If you would like to, I do not mind; but most of us have read it.
MR LAMONT: Translated from the Greek, it basically says that haste in every business brings failure. That is the basis upon which my action in relation to this matter has been predicated. But we need to ensure, consistent with the policy of the ALP, that before we proceed to any legislative reform and steps in this direction we understand the impact and implications of each of those steps and that there is wide community support and wide community education in relation to those issues, to allow us adequately and appropriately to reflect the views of the community.
Mr De Domenico: Is that what the platform says?
MR LAMONT: Yes. Mr De Domenico, I understand that you are an avid reader; but it is obvious that there is a lot that you do not understand. You should go back and read the report, where I outlined the position of the Australian Labor Party and our policy, at the end of page 1 and on page 2, in trying to overcome some of the distortions - albeit accidental ones, I am sure - that were included in Mr Moore's preface to this report. I believe that I quite clearly and adequately outlined the position of our party.
I do not believe that it is appropriate for this matter to be vilified by Mr Kaine. Obviously, by your chortling, Mr De Domenico, you support him. I believe that it is not appropriate for that sort of vilification and absurdity to go unchallenged in this house. This house has a responsibility to reflect community norms and acceptable community standards. In preparing this legislation, we provided for an extensive, open and public process; for a committee of this Assembly, with your leader on it, to report; and then for Mr Moore, the original proponent, to consider that report and bring it back before this chamber. That is what democracy is all about. I think that what we are able to see here in this Assembly is not processes that achieve the lowest common denominator, but processes that are public, open and accountable. Those processes work.
There have been a number of other pieces of legislation before us that have been brought forward in a similar process, where a member of this Assembly sought and achieved support from the majority of the members to have a particular matter tested or questioned through the processes outlined in our standing orders. That is what Mr Moore had done. On this occasion, the majority of members of the committee and, indeed, I suspect, the majority of members of this Assembly believe that Mr Moore's proposition, as originally put, was not supportable. But the process that we adopted to assess the community's position, I believe, came down with a reasonable outline in this report, and this legislation is an appropriate way to reflect that. I support the issue and I will support the Bill and the amendments moved by the Government. I have some concern about one of Mr Humphries's proposed amendments; but I will address myself to that later this morning.
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