Euthanasia Politics in the Australian State and Territorial Parliaments
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Euthanasia Politics in the Australian State and Territorial Parliaments A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The Australian National University Alison Plumb School of Politics and International Relations May 2014 ii I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the Australian National University is solely my own work. iii iv Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures……………………………………………………………...vii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………...ix Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………xi Chapter 1:Introduction………………………….…………………………………….1 The Aims of the Thesis………………………………………………………………….1 Why Study Voluntary Euthanasia?...................................................................................2 End of Life Choices and the Law in Australia…………………………………………12 Definition of Key Terms………………………………………………………………..13 Key Findings and the Structure of the Thesis…………………………………………..16 Chapter 2: Investigating Euthanasia Politics……………………...………………...21 Research on ‘Morality Politics’…....…………………………………………………...21 The Debate Over Voluntary Euthanasia………………………………………………..23 The Political Processes Involved……………………………………………………….27 Research Questions……………………………………………………………………..39 The Original Contribution of the Thesis………………………………………………..41 Methodology………………...………………………………………………………….42 Research Methods………………………………………………………………………46 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...52 Chapter 3: Voluntary Euthanasia Law Reform in the Northern Territory………53 The Factors Contributing to Success: Nitschke and Stewart’s Analysis……………….54 End of Life Choices and the Law in the Northern Territory…………………………...56 A Legislative History of the Issue……………………………………………………...56 Explaining the Progress of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill 1995………………....59 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...75 Chapter 4: Voluntary Euthanasia Law Reform in the ACT……………………….77 End of Life Choices and the Law in the ACT………………………………………….77 A Legislative History of the Issue……………………………………………………...80 Events Leading to the Passage of the Euthanasia Laws Act………..…..……………...90 The Future of Voluntary Euthanasia Law Reform in the Territories…………………..95 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………..99 v Chapter 5: Voluntary Euthanasia Law Reform in South Australia……………..101 End of Life Choices and the Law in South Australia…………………………………101 A Legislative History of the Issue…………………………………………………….103 Explaining the Fate of Voluntary Euthanasia Bills in the SA Parliament…………….113 The Future of the Issue in the South Australian Parliament…………………………..121 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….125 Chapter 6: Voluntary Euthanasia Law Reform in Tasmania……………………127 End of Life Choices and the Law in Tasmania……………………………………….128 A Legislative History of the Issue……………………………………………………129 Explaining the Fate of the Dying with Dignity Bill 2009…………………………….131 The Future of the Issue in Tasmania………………………………………………….141 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………145 Chapter 7: Comparing the Fate of, and Prospects for, Bills in the Four Jurisdictions…………………………………………………………………………147 Getting the Issue on the Agenda……………………………………………………..148 Winning a Free Vote…………………………………………………………………150 The Parliamentary Debates…………………………………………………………..153 Other Relevant Factors……………………………………………………………….156 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………164 Chapter 8: The Political Processes Involved………………………………………167 The Private Members’ Bill Process…………………………………………………..167 Spontaneous Political Group Formation……………………………………………..175 Political Representation……………………………………………………………....178 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………....186 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………189 Contribution to research on ‘Morality Politics’……………………………………….189 Explaining the Fate of Bills…………………………………………………………...191 Future Prospects for Reform………………………………………………………….192 The Political Processes Involved……………………………………………………...194 Future Research……………………………………………………………………….197 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..201 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………215 vi List of Tables and Figures Tables Table 1.1. Recent Bills on Conscience Issues the Australian Federal, State & Territorial Parliaments Table 1.2. Voluntary Euthanasia Bills in the Australian State and Territorial Parliaments (1995-Present) Table 3.1. Voting on the Northern Territory Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill by Party Table 3.2. Party Voting on the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill by Ideological Position and Index of Cohesion Table 3.3. Party Voting on the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill by Constituency Location Table 3.4. Voting on the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill by Religion Table 3.5. Voting on the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill: MPs representing Constituencies with Above Average % Aboriginal/Islander Population Table 3.6. Arguments Used by the Opponents of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill Table 3.7. Arguments used by the Supporters of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill Table 4.1. Party Voting on the Medical Treatment (Amendment) Bill 1995 Table 4.2. Voting Intentions Stated in the Debate on the Medical Treatment (Amendment) Bill 1997 Table 4.3. Arguments in Opposition to the Medical Treatment (Amendment) Bill 1997 Table 4.4. Arguments used by Supporters of the Medical Treatment (Amendment) Bill 1997 Table 4.5. Attempts to Restore the Northern Territory and ACT’s Legislative Power on Euthanasia in the Federal Parliament Table 5.1. Second Reading vote on the 1995 Voluntary Euthanasia Bill in the House of Assembly Table 5.2. Second Reading Vote on the 1996 Voluntary Euthanasia Bill in the Legislative Council Table 5.3. Voting by Gender on the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 1996 in the Legislative Council Table 5.4. Party Voting on the 2001 Dignity in Dying Bill in the Legislative Council Table 5.5. Party Voting on the Consent to Medical Treatment and Palliative Care (Voluntary Euthanasia) Amendment Bill 2008 in the Legislative Council Table 5.6. Party Voting on the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2012 in the House of Assembly Table 5.7. Arguments used by Opponents of the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 1995 Table 5.8. Arguments used by Supporters of the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 1995 Table 5.9. Opposition to Voluntary Euthanasia Legislation in the Legislative Council (1996-2004) Table 5.10. Arguments used by Supporters of the Consent to Medical Treatment (End of Life Arrangements) Amendment Bill, 2010 in the South Australian Legislative Council vii Table 5.11. Arguments used by Opponents of the Consent to Medical Treatment (End of Life Arrangements) Amendment Bill, 2010 in the South Australian Legislative Council Table 6.1. Voting on the Dying With Dignity Bill 2009 in the Tasmanian House of Assembly by Party Table 6.2. Arguments used by supporters of the Dying with Dignity Bill 2009 Table 6.3. Arguments used by opponents of the Dying with Dignity Bill 2009 Table 6.4 Voting on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2013 in the Tasmanian House of Assembly by Party Table 7.1. The Origin and Sponsorship of Voluntary Euthanasia Bills in the Four Jurisdictions Table 7.2. Party Voting in the ALP and Liberal Parties on Voluntary Euthanasia Bills in the Australian State and Territorial Parliaments Table 7.3. Intra-Party Cohesion Voting on Voluntary Euthanasia Bills in the Australian State and Territorial Parliaments Table 7.4. Arguments used by Opponents of Euthanasia in the Australian State and Territorial Parliaments Table 7.5. The Success Rate of Private Members’ Bills in the four Jurisdictions (1994- 2002) Table 7.6. Religious Affiliation in the Australian States and Territories 1996 (%) Table 7.7. Religious Affiliation in the Australian States and Territories 2011 (%) Table 8.1. Private Members’ Legislation Introduced in the South Australian Legislative Council (1990-2010) Figures Figure 8.1. Advert by Operation TIAP ‘3 Rs’, Northern Territory May 1995 Figure 8.2. Operation TIAP ‘Ask your MLA to Represent You’ ad., 2 May 1995, Northern Territory Figure 8.3. MLAs Maiden Speech Pledges to Represent their Electorates used at Operation TIAP Rally viii Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the support of a significant number people. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, David Marsh. Almost ten years ago, I arrived at the University of Birmingham as a keen undergraduate student torn between the decision of whether to study a BA in political science or in sociology. In the first week, assessing the course outline, I couldn’t believe my luck when I discovered Dave’s third year course, Political Sociology. Of course, when my third year came, I signed up for the course straight away. I will always remember the thrill of learning about fascinating and complex concepts relating to ‘ontology’ and ‘epistemology’ for the first time and how they might inform the work of political scientists. Although this is primarily an empirical study, I have carried what I learnt during that year through my time as a postgraduate student and believe that I have developed an awareness of my own and others work, that would not have been possible without this foundation. I would also like to thank Dave for his endless patience, advice and motivation and for going above and beyond what is expected, co-authoring papers and for involving me in countless professional development activities. I would like to acknowledge and thank my committee members John Warhurst and Juliet Pietsch, as well as my acting committee chairs, John Ravenhill and Ian McAllister, for their support throughout the PhD process. I would like so like