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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (26 February) . . Page.. 504 ..

MR CORBELL (5.15): Mr Speaker, the issues surrounding euthanasia are complex. The balance between the rights of the individual and the responsibilities of our community is a fine one, and in this place we must ensure that we strike that balance in every area in which we have an impact. In relation to the issue of euthanasia, I believe strongly that the individual's right to choose outweighs any imposition on that right which the community may seek to apply. I believe very strongly that that right of choice works both ways. By this I mean that, when a person faces death as a result of being in the terminal phase of a terminal illness, the community must respect and support that individual in whatever choice they make regarding the manner and nature of their death and whether they choose to live or to die. Just as a person who chooses palliative care until death makes an individual choice as to how to face their death, so too does someone who requests to end their life through euthanasia. I do not believe that I can impose my belief on their opportunity to make that decision. I cannot deny them that choice. This is a position that has been held by my party and a majority of members in my party for over five years now and it is a position I firmly support, even though on this issue a conscience vote is allowed to Labor members in this Assembly and Labor members across the Territory.

In my short time in this Assembly I have been deeply disappointed by the level of misinformation I have heard from residents of Canberra in letters and other representations on this issue. One resident wrote to me saying that she would be afraid to enter hospital because her doctor could choose to end her life without her consent. This was not for a terminal illness; this was just going into hospital for some form of operation or treatment. This claim, as anyone who has read the Bill understands, is simply untrue. It is also worse than untrue; it is a misleading and deliberately fear-evoking proposition. I regret that in this debate the views of those who choose to oppose this Bill through misrepresentation and fear are all too vocal. Those who argue against the Bill on principle or belief are, of course, entitled to do so, and it is entirely appropriate that they do. But I do not believe that it is appropriate to suggest to old and elderly people that the Bill will allow doctors to euthanase them at will.

Unfortunately, this example is indicative of the tactics adopted by some - and I stress some - parties to this debate. It also, however, highlights the growing fear in our community that governments and large institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes, in their preoccupation with a purely economic viewpoint, have lost sight of the value of human dignity and of the importance of an individual's experience and beliefs. I agree that this is a central concern in our community at present, as services are put at risk through efficiency drives, purchaser-provider models and other euphemisms for economic rather than humanistic decision-making.

Clearly, from the letters I have received, people in our community are afraid that our society considers them a burden. This perception is brought about not by the introduction of this Bill but by the policies that refuse Canberrans the right to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives and that place their need for employment, education, community services and health care below that of the budget bottom line. I believe that it is the right of all citizens to have access to health and community services, and support for adequate and effective palliative care. Services to support the frail, the ill and the aged must never be jeopardised, and I will continue to work to ensure that these services are not eroded and are, indeed, improved.

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