Page 227 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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It talks about the trip that Ms Porter undertook through Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands looking at voluntary euthanasia in those countries. I suppose I would say that if the intent of what Ms Porter wants to do is to have a debate about euthanasia, she needs to consider the various elements of legislation, but she should be somewhat honest about what we are talking about here, if that is what she is doing, because that is certainly the debate that she is creating in the media. They are certainly the signals that she is sending when she does that. I remind Ms Porter—and she is probably aware of it—of section 23 of the self-government act in regard to these debates.
Having said that, end-of-life issues are very important. They are, indeed, difficult issues for our community, and they deserve the most sensitive and thoughtful attention of all Assembly members. But I do reflect that, given it is only six months since this matter was last discussed, there are no new or substantive matters that we are debating here. Perhaps this debate would be more appropriate if it was post Ms Porter’s forum, and post the report of her visit overseas being published. Certainly, it seems that we are going around a little bit in circles.
We are being asked to pass this motion on palliative care. I would not say that it is misleading, but we are being asked to talk about things that do not even exist.
Turning to the substance of the motion, I think the point that Ms Porter is trying to get across is that the medical, ancillary and health support professionals who make palliative care their daily work and those individuals who choose to give their time and experience as palliative care volunteers truly deserve the greatest respect and thanks from us all in the wider community.
The fact is that death and dying are inevitable, and it is an experience that eventually touches each of us individually in a myriad of challenging, daunting and sometimes frightening ways. As we each face our own death or share and experience the approaching event with a loved one, it is an experience that few of us can ever be totally prepared for. Professional and well planned and funded palliative care is a mark of a caring and civilised society which has its priorities right and recognises the needs of all of its community members at every stage of life’s journey.
The Canberra Liberals are pleased to note and acknowledge the recommendations of the recent ACT Local Hospital Network Council, which held an end-of-life decision-making forum. I would like to address some of the key points in this report.
Clearly, the management of death should be a public health issue. Historically, death was often seen as something beyond the issue of a health system. Medical practitioners were focused on our health outcomes at the beginning of life and throughout life but not at the end. The task of the doctor was often viewed as simply to issue the death certificate. As the community embraces a new view, we are increasingly and correctly accepting death and dying as a public health matter.
In a caring society, we need to address our society’s culture around death and to normalise death and dying. We now understand that the sooner health professionals have contact with people who can help us accept the fact of dying, the better will be the outcomes and experience for all.
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