Page 577 - Week 02 - Thursday, 18 February 2016
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I thank Megan Doherty of the Canberra Times for reporting my study tour and the issues I explored while in Europe in such a sensitive and balanced way, avoiding polarisation of the issues involved. We all want a peaceful death. There are many who desire a greater choice in how to achieve this. I saw good examples when overseas of legislation with proper safeguards. It is my great hope that once the Andrews bill no longer holds its power over the ACT, members in this place will be able to introduce a bill to legalise voluntary euthanasia. It may be a long time coming, of course, but wherever I am, and until the day I die, I will join in this conversation.
We also need to keep building our excellent palliative care services, of course, and they are excellent. They are continuing to respond to demand. We should realise that this is not an either/or situation. In Belgium I visited an excellent day care centre where people were busy living, not preoccupied with dying, at the same time knowing they had a choice in relation to the manner of their death.
Advanced care directives are an excellent tool to assist people in planning for the manner of their death and are recommended for every adult. No matter whether you are younger or older, it is really necessary for you to look at this. That is why I call for better education and accessibility so people really understand what the options are.
I thank all my staff, past and present. Like all of us in this place, the longer you are here the greater the number of staff that pass through your office. I have been very fortunate to have so many fine individuals who worked beside me tirelessly to achieve a great deal. I also feel honoured to have been able to access a cadet program which saw three young Indigenous people work with me. They went on to secure recognition and great job opportunities in their chosen field. In the same way I was fortunate to have individuals who undertook internships. I am pleased to see a number of staff go on from my office to secure jobs in federal ministers’ offices and indeed in the then prime minister’s office.
I will list all the staff here as closely as I can get to their actual chronological order, and I am sorry if I get it wrong. Alys Graham was the first staff member I employed because she had been here before and she helped me set up my office. Jamila Rizvi—I think we all know her name now; she is now a wonderful magazine editor. I also mention Ryan Hamilton, Emma Smith, Annika Hutchins and Ian de Landelles—until the de Landelles amendment was introduced, as we fondly call it around our place.
Frank Gaffer, Andrew Hunter, Tim Petheram, Jack Simpson, Charles Njora, Monica Vannasy, Murielle Zielonka, Janet Hutchison, Zara Davis, Ernest Egelonu, Brianna Jeffries, David Bullock, Katherine Wright and Anna Maxwell also worked with me. I acknowledge the staff who are here with me today.
In the same way, my election was the result of a great team of members of my party. I thank and acknowledge the members of the party who gave up their time to assist me and, of course, my colleagues in this place. In the same way I thank my large army of volunteers, many not party members, who worked so hard for me at the time and have stuck by me all these years, always happy if they can assist me with matters outside this place.
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