Victorian premier 'proud' of assisted dying laws

Victoria's premier says he is 'very proud' to see voluntary assisted dying laws one step closer to reality after they passed the state's lower house.

A "proud" Premier Daniel Andrews says terminally ill Victorians are closer to getting the dignity they deserve after voluntary assisted dying laws passed the lower house.

After an all-night session in parliament discussing 141 amendments, the Labor government's voluntary euthanasia bill passed 47-37 on Friday morning and will now go to the upper house for further scrutiny.

The proposed laws say terminally ill Victorian residents with less than 12 months to live and who are suffering unbearable pain will be able to request lethal medication.
"My colleagues and I are very proud that we have taken a very big step towards giving many, many Victorians the dignity and compassion they have been denied for far too long," Mr Andrews told reporters shortly after the vote.

MPs who opposed the bill proposed 141 amendments, but none of them succeeded.

"Some of these amendments wouldn't have done any harm as such, but they're not needed, because there are other laws in Victoria (that cover those issues)," Mr Andrews said.



Deputy Premier James Merlino led the Labor opposition to the proposed laws, which survived his attempt to kill them off on Wednesday.

Mr Andrews said there was no patching up to do in his cabinet over the controversial debate, despite tensions rising high as Mr Merlino and Consumer Affairs Minister Marlene Kairouz tried to stop the bill.

"Everyone has brought some passion and some personal experience and a real intensity to this very important debate," he said.

The bill, which Mr Andrews has described as the most conservative scheme in the world, will now go to the upper house where it is expected to be another tight vote.

Shadow Treasurer Michael O'Brien says he was disappointed none of the amendments were adopted.

"I didn't support the bill because the safeguards aren't safe enough. If the upper house can't improve it, then it should knock it back," he told reporters.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he has "reservations" about the model, but the federal government has no power to block Victoria's decision on the issue.

"If I was sitting there in the Victorian parliament I wouldn't be voting for it," he told 3AW before the crucial count.

Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating says the Victorian bill is "unacceptable".

"Under Victorian law there will be people whose lives we honour and those we believe are better off dead," Mr Keating wrote in an opinion piece in Fairfax Media.

There were smiles from the premier and health minister when the bill passed after a marathon 26-hour sitting, while supporter Andrew Denton was spotted appearing to film the result from the public gallery.

The Victorian Parliament will sit again on October 31.

Share
3 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