As the debate inside Victoria's Parliament House continued into the early morning, the emotional right-to-die issue was still raising the passions of weary MPs. Victorian Treasurer, Michael O'Brien, was determined to have the proper safe guards enshrined in the bill.
O'BRIEN
"We need to ensure that when people cross a line that they cannot step back from, that they do it willingly, they're not doing it under undue influence or coercion or duress ."
Nearly 26 hours after the Lower House started debating more than 140 amendments to the euthanasia bill, Health Minister Jill Hennessy was still stoically responding to questions just before 4:30am.
(Ryan Smith) "What specifically constitutes an unwise decision?"
(Jill Hennessy) "It's not actually about an unwise decision, it's referring to the opinion of other people that it is an unwise decision."
Finally, just after 11am - results of the final conscience vote were revealed by the Speaker of the House.
SPEAKER
"The result of the division is ayes 47, noes 37. Therefore the motion is agreed to. The bill will now be sent to the Legislative Council and their agreement requested. Before moving on I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Parliament of Victoria. (applause)
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews emerged from Parliament to welcome the vote.
ANDREWS
"My colleagues and I are very proud, very proud that we have taken a very big step towards giving many many Victorians the dignity and compassion that they have been denied for far too long."
However the bill will not become law until it passes the state's Legislative Council. It's already causing sharp divisions in senior government ranks and they're likely to be further tested as the Upper House considers whether to make history and pass assisted dying legislation into law. President of Right to Life, Margaret Tighe says her anti-euthanasia group is disappointed with the result.
TIGHE
"You know the protection of human life is the most important thing in this day and age, and I can't believe, we're supposed to be living in a highly civilised country and yet here we are stooping to legalise state sanctioned killing."
But Daniel Andrews has described the proposed law
ANDREWS
"Public life is about getting the big and important things done and this is big and it's very very important to a lot of Victorians."
The bill is due in the Upper House in early November, where the numbers are expected to be tight.
