Victoria euthanasia law bid delayed

A motion calling for Victoria's law Reform Commission to examine euthanasia has been adjourned.

A Greens bid to get Victoria's Law Reform Commission to examine euthanasia has been delayed.

Party leaders in the state's upper house agreed to not to vote on the motion after it looked like it would fail.

But the Greens say a vote will be held in May on whether the commission should report on euthanasia laws.

Green MP Colleen Hartland said she was heartened by the number of MPs from all parties who indicated they would support her.

Democratic Labour Party MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins claimed a win after speaking against the motion.

"The Greens simply did not have the numbers, so they did not bring it to a vote today," Dr Carling-Jenkins told AAP on Wednesday.

But the Greens say the vote will be held when Parliament returns for the budget.

Ms Hartland said the Law Reform Commission needed to examine the issue because it wasn't going away.

"We actually need to allow people to decide how they will die because doctors are already doing this," she said.

Ms Hartland wants the commission to spend up to a year examining the issue and then see the government bring forward legislation based on that report.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world