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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 9 Hansard (22 November) . . Page.. 2301 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

should not have a situation where it is accidental or ad hoc, with somebody pretending that nothing is going on behind the scenes. Individuals should be allowed to come to their own decisions, and they should have regulated rights on the provision of information. Those rights are not there.

To those of us in the Labor Party, euthanasia is not a new issue. Mr Humphries, I think quite mischievously, reflected on Labor's performance in recent elections. There has never been any secret about the Labor Party's policy, Mr Humphries. It has always been contained in a document as it is now. If you had not been so busy pushing some of your Liberal Party people around at the polling booths at the last election, you might have noticed the Right to Life presence. Do not give us that nonsense about the Labor Party hiding its position. We have had this as part of our platform since 1991, and it is something that I have been totally committed to.

Mr Humphries: Yes, but you have not said anything about it in public.

MR BERRY: The calls to vote for life in Ginninderra by saying no to abortion on demand and saying no to euthanasia did not mention my name. These people did not support me. It is pretty obvious that it was a public issue, so do not twist and do not just avoid it. It does your standing no good to continue with that sort of nonsense. You know that our position was very clear. We have debated this issue in our policy committees and at our conferences on many occasions. It has never been a secret, and my position has never been secret. In fact, after the last election and the strong campaign that was run by the Right to Life Association, I think if I were to oppose this legislation the people who elected me could rightfully accuse me of treachery. The campaign was pretty clear in relation to the Labor Party's position. I have come to this debate having exercised my conscience on this issue on many occasions and knowing that I have the support of the Labor Party on the issue.

At a time when advances in modern medicine mean that somebody with no hope of a recovery, no chance of a meaningful life, can be kept alive indefinitely, we cannot put off the recognition that people should not have their suffering prolonged unnecessarily. Mr Humphries, you might take note that in our platform about natural death legislation we talk about - - -

Mr Humphries: Is this the $20 document you have to buy to get a look at it?

MR BERRY: I am sure the Liberal Party would have been able to come up with the money. It talks about the need for a hospice, and we have dealt with that. It goes on in detail to discuss the Labor Party's natural death policy. Mr Moore's Bill is a carefully crafted Bill which essentially matches that policy. Mr Moore has made no secret of the fact that it was crafted in a way that could take advantage of the Labor Party's policy. There is no secret about that. Whilst the introduction of it might not have been of our timing, the Bill nevertheless reflects the policy which has been decided by the party.

Much has been said about palliative care. My support for well-resourced palliative care is well known, and palliative care is in a much better state here in the ACT because of the Australian Labor Party's commitment to it.

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