Page 229 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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endeavour. She calls on the Assembly to continue to implement recommendations from the ACT Local Hospital Network Council’s forum of May 2013. I am not sure whether the government is supporting all of those recommendations.
Ms Porter: It has not happened yet.
MR HANSON: No, the one from May 2013. She also calls on the Assembly to seriously consider the report resulting from the palliative care conference in 2013 as well as that from next month’s end-of-life forum. I have some concerns with this because with regard to the conference in September 2013 there is no report. There is a list of papers. My office has spoken to the convenor from Palliative Care Australia and we have been advised that the conference had no report. We have contacted Ms Porter’s office, and there is no report. So Ms Porter is asking the government to consider a report that does not exist. There are a bunch of documents from the forum but there is no report. I believe she is going to use some language to try and explain that away, but, ultimately, it is pretty clear that Ms Porter has the support of the health minister in this regard. If the health minister chooses to consider a report that does not exist, and if that is the way she chooses to use her time, good luck to her.
In the next item Ms Porter is asking the government to make sure that the report from the end-of-life forum, that has not even been conducted yet, is seriously considered. I am a little bit incredulous that Ms Porter’s motion is asking the government to consider a report that does not exist and to consider a report from a forum that has not even been conducted yet. I question the value of what this government are being called on to do when they are continuing to raise end-of-life issues—I do not think that anyone has any argument with that—and then calling on the government to consider two reports that do not exist.
I am happy to support the thrust of what is being said. These are important issues, but Ms Porter needs to make sure that the messages she is sending to the community with regard to voluntary euthanasia are consistent with what she is saying in this place and that she is honest about what she is pushing out there in the community. It would be useful if Ms Porter were to give us a view on voluntary euthanasia. She has now moved a couple of motions, she is having a forum and she has travelled extensively throughout Europe, discussing with and visiting countries where voluntary euthanasia takes place. It would be useful if she were to provide a view other than coming into this place and saying the government should consider reports that do not exist. I am not sure how that is actually progressing this debate.
If she does not have a view one way or the other then she should say that. But if she does have a view, and this is a stealthy push because that is her subtext to it, I would encourage her to make it plain and clear. I would say to Ms Porter that if that is her view, that she is actually advocating for voluntary euthanasia, be honest about it. Do not send mixed messages. Do not get other people to do your dirty work for you in forums. If you have come to a conclusion after your visit to Europe and after your extensive reading on this matter, be honest. I would ask you, in your closing remarks, to say that that is what you are doing—that you are pushing for voluntary euthanasia, and be clear about it.
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