Voluntary Euthanasia Legislation

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:18): I might give us a bit of a change from talking about the budget; I suspect we are going to be talking about it all afternoon.

Yesterday was something of a historic day in Australia, with the commencement of the Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017. One of the hardest things—in fact, the hardest thing—I have ever done in this parliament was during the term of the last government. It was the debate about the euthanasia bill that was before this chamber, and most members took part in that debate. It was a conscience vote, and we all expressed our deeply held beliefs, whether we supported the bill or opposed it.

As I said, yesterday was a historic occasion with the commencement, for the first time in a state in Australia, of a voluntary euthanasia act. It was a difficult debate because I have seen a number of members of my family pass away. My dad died in 1998 in a major hospital in New South Wales and the circumstances surrounding that death—he had cancer—were horrendous. The quality of the palliative care was poor. The facilities were poor, which was surprising for such a major hospital, the Concord hospital. So the memories of those weeks will always be with me.

Just before the debate about the bill that came before the South Australian parliament, my brother passed away of the same cancer my father had passed away from in 1998. The quality of the care at the Whyalla Hospital was fantastic. The palliative care was fantastic, and the new facilities were really good, but it is never an easy time. We were rolling him out to have his cigarette almost until the last day and we did have a conversation about voluntary euthanasia.

I asked him what his thoughts were. He was supportive but he said that he could never make that choice himself. I guess, given the quality of care that he had received, that was easier to do. But it is a choice I believe we all should have if need be, and few people would exercise it because we do tend to hang on dearly to life right to the end.

The bill that has been enacted in Victoria has been called one of the most conservative voluntary euthanasia bills in the world. I think it would be well worth replicating. Why reinvent the wheel? I acknowledge we have a select committee looking at this, but there is a whole range of conditions in that particular act which I think are worthy of consideration. We have seen in some overseas jurisdictions people under 18 being able to avail themselves of voluntary euthanasia, but in Victoria you have to be over 18, you have to be an Australian citizen and you have to have been a permanent resident of Victoria for at least 12 months.

You have to have a disease, illness or medical condition which is incurable, advanced and progressive, which will cause death within six months or 12 months for a neurodegenerative condition. You have to be assessed as having suffering which cannot be relieved in a manner the person considers tolerable. Two doctors have to determine eligibility and a person is not eligible for only a mental illness or a disability. Doctors have the capacity to conscientiously object.

Between the first request nine days can elapse and you can get an opportunity to then continue on, but the person can revoke a request at any time. The drug is self-administered, but a practitioner can administer it, if the person is incapable of digesting the drug, if that becomes an issue. There has to be active reporting back to the parliament. I hope if a bill does come before us in this house that we do pass the bill this time.