Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Senator Jacinta Price says she voted against the second reading of the Territory Rights bill, seeking greater safeguards for children when it comes to euthanasia

Transcript

NT Senator Jacinta Price says she voted against the second reading of the Territory Rights bill, seeking greater safeguards for children when it comes to euthanasia · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now we know that the Act and the Northern Territory
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: are a step closer to being able to legislate for
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: voluntary assists and dying. After a vote in the Senate yesterday,
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  Speaker 1: Senator just Centerprice has voted against the bill, saying that
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  Speaker 1: amendments regarding children under eighteen need further consideration when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to euthanasia. Now, I know that some people are
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  Speaker 1: pretty irate about this. Even the former Senator Sam McMahon
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  Speaker 1: has weighed in saying that the opposition to the territory
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  Speaker 1: making its own laws by the colp senator is an
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  Speaker 1: outrageous act of treachery. We know that the Deputy Chief Inison,
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  Speaker 1: Nicole Madison, was on the show earlier this morning on
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  Speaker 1: the Week that was firing up about it. But joining
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  Speaker 1: me on the line right now to explain her stance
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  Speaker 1: is Senator Price. Good morning to your senator.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Now, why did you vote against this bill?
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  Speaker 2: So I'd like to make this very clear that what
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  Speaker 2: I voted against was the second greeting of the bill.
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  Speaker 2: In its current form, there aren't safeguards in it to
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  Speaker 2: protect vulnerable territorians. Let me also make it very clear
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  Speaker 2: that I support the rights of territoriums, but that it
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  Speaker 2: should be understood that while there are those who are
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  Speaker 2: suggesting this bill is just about territory rights, it is
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  Speaker 2: only very narrow. It's about allowing the opportunity to legislate
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  Speaker 2: in terms of assisted dying. So my concerns are around
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  Speaker 2: the fact that there is no safeguards with regard to
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  Speaker 2: children with people for people with a disability or mental impairment.
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  Speaker 2: So this bill was to be was originally on the
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  Speaker 2: agenda for next Thursday, and in the meantime these amendments
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  Speaker 2: were being worked too in draft form, so we were
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  Speaker 2: sort of blindsided when we were, you know, when it
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  Speaker 2: was put to the vote. So what I'm what I
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  Speaker 2: am currently doing is drafting amendments that will seek to
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  Speaker 2: uphold the rights of children so that they are not
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  Speaker 2: subject to assisted dying, and also also with regard to
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  Speaker 2: those with a disability or mental impairment in accordance with
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  Speaker 2: a Disability Discrimination Act and also the Criminal Code Act.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, there's a lot of people throwing around
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  Speaker 2: words like treachery and you know, all these sorts of
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  Speaker 2: terms which are very emotive. But what I'm doing, which
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people do not do is regard the
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  Speaker 2: vulnerable in these circumstances. And this current territory government has
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  Speaker 2: demonstrated their complete disregard for vulnerable territoriums, you know, in
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  Speaker 2: a number of different ways. So I certainly don't trust
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  Speaker 2: for them to consider appropriate safeguards for children or those
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  Speaker 2: of the disability or a mental impairment.
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  Speaker 1: So, Senator, from what it appears as though you're telling
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  Speaker 1: me that that second that was obviously how you voted
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  Speaker 1: on the second reading of the bill, there's opportunity now
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  Speaker 1: for some change to be made. So will you get
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  Speaker 1: another opportunity to vote, and if so, are you going
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  Speaker 1: to vote the same way? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Look, look, this is this is what it's all about.
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  Speaker 2: The final vote hasn't been taken. So this this this
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  Speaker 2: decision has not been finalized. This has provided the opportunity
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  Speaker 2: for the amendment to be voted on before we vote
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  Speaker 2: to the bill and its entirety. So you know, this
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  Speaker 2: is this is a grave concern. If this was entirely
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  Speaker 2: about territory, right, this would not be a conscience vote.
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  Speaker 2: And I'm in fact, I'm going step further in drafting
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  Speaker 2: a private Senator's bill that will speak to actually real
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  Speaker 2: territory rights, restoring rights across legislation, not that a specific
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  Speaker 2: to assisted dying. And I want to be able to
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  Speaker 2: in that consult with territorians over the coming twelve months
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  Speaker 2: or so about how they feel with regard to pushing
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  Speaker 2: toward statehood with regard to obtaining full rights for territorians,
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  Speaker 2: because it's one thing to look specifically at one bit
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  Speaker 2: of legislation, but we do as a territory obviously need
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  Speaker 2: to look broader than that.
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  Speaker 1: All right, let's go back to though this one bit
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  Speaker 1: of legislation that we know, as you've said there, it
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  Speaker 1: is going to have that final vote take place. So
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  Speaker 1: are you going to vote the same way when that
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  Speaker 1: final vote happens. Are you going to vote against the
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  Speaker 1: territory being able to make its own decision on euthanasia?
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  Speaker 2: I guess we have to have the process first with
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  Speaker 2: regard to the amendments, and I want to see what
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  Speaker 2: the outcome is with regard to those amendments. It is
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  Speaker 2: evident that the bill is going to pass, probably with
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  Speaker 2: or without those amendments, but I personally have to see
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  Speaker 2: what the process where the process stands with regard to
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  Speaker 2: the amendments that I'm proposing to put up.
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  Speaker 1: Senator, what what part or what exactly is it when
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  Speaker 1: you when you're talking about you know, young people or
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  Speaker 1: those under the age of eight a what exactly are
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  Speaker 1: you concerned about here?
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  Speaker 2: Well, as it stands, there are no considerations or safeguards
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  Speaker 2: with regard to the possibility of children you know, I'm
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  Speaker 2: being euthanized really, or those with a mental impairment, Alzheimer's dementia,
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  Speaker 2: those sorts of issues or a disability that they might
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  Speaker 2: be subject to assisted dying when they're not fully capable
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  Speaker 2: of making those sorts of decisions for themselves.
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  Speaker 1: So, you know, So are you saying here, are you
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  Speaker 1: saying that a parent, you know, depending on the situation
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  Speaker 1: that a child under the age of eighteen is in
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  Speaker 1: I you know, what kind of illness they are suffering from.
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  Speaker 1: Are you saying that that a parent can make that decision,
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  Speaker 1: you know, in terms of voluntary assisted dying on behalf
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  Speaker 1: of their child.
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  Speaker 2: Well, as it stands in the current bill, there's nothing
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  Speaker 2: to say that that can't be the case.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, And so then when you talk about people with
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  Speaker 1: a mental impairment or the example that you're given there
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  Speaker 1: of Alzheimer's. Is it a situation though, where you know
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  Speaker 1: somebody would would make that decision themselves when they are
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  Speaker 1: of a better frame of mind. I know that, you know,
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  Speaker 1: for me, my family has gone through a situation where
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  Speaker 1: my father was in the hospice and through palliative care,
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  Speaker 1: so I've got a good understanding of how that all works.
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  Speaker 1: And he probably wouldn't have gone down this path. He
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  Speaker 1: would have, you know, he would have stayed the way
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  Speaker 1: that he did in terms of, you know, living as
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  Speaker 1: long as he could. And and everybody's decision is different,
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  Speaker 1: But I think the point is that it should be
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  Speaker 1: a person's decision, shouldn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, I don't think if that person can coherently
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  Speaker 2: make that decision for themselves based on their mental capabilities
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  Speaker 2: at the time, whether that's you know, these are all
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  Speaker 2: considerations that need to be taken into place. And I
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  Speaker 2: certainly also know of circumstances where, you know, people who
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  Speaker 2: haven't been of the right mental state to make that decision,
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  Speaker 2: have have gone through a sister dying and it hasn't
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  Speaker 2: been in the end, hasn't been the right decision, you know.
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  Speaker 2: And also I know of circumstances where people have been
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  Speaker 2: wrongfully diagnosed. There's a whole raft of areas and I'm
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  Speaker 2: just really wanting to put some safeguards in place because
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  Speaker 2: I mean, as you know, I'm in everything. I'm led
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  Speaker 2: by my concerns for particularly vulnerable people. And this has
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  Speaker 2: always been the case. This is all it's about for me.
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  Speaker 2: It's not about trying to remove the rights of Territorians
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  Speaker 2: to legislate on anything. But this is a pretty narrow
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  Speaker 2: piece of legislation it is to do with this, and
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  Speaker 2: I am you know, I'm just I'm taking everything into consideration,
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  Speaker 2: you know, as we go forward with this, because I
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  Speaker 2: think it's necessary and I think as lawmakers we should
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  Speaker 2: be taking absolutely everything into consideration.
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  Speaker 1: Senator, what would you say to those people listening this
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  Speaker 1: morning who feel as though you're not feel as though
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  Speaker 1: you're going against what they want and their rights as territorians.
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  Speaker 2: Well, if people really want to, you know, concerned about
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  Speaker 2: the rights of Territorians, then we should be having a
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  Speaker 2: conversation about statehood. That's what we should be having a
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  Speaker 2: conversation about. If territorians, if this is the will of territorians,
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  Speaker 2: and this is something that we should look more broadly
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  Speaker 2: to as Territorians, and this is certainly something that I'm
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  Speaker 2: drafting for and going forward having those conversations with Territorians
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  Speaker 2: across the board.
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  Speaker 1: I mean right now, though, there are a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people who are seriously concerned and passionate about Territorians having
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  Speaker 1: their own right and being able to make their own
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  Speaker 1: decision when it comes to voluntary assisted dying, and some
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  Speaker 1: of them listening this morning are going to be really
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  Speaker 1: frustrated by what you are saying.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, it's a matter of being patient, that's all
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  Speaker 2: it is. It's just a matter of being patient. And
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  Speaker 2: I've heard I've heard from people across the board. I've
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  Speaker 2: heard from people right across the board and those who
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  Speaker 2: have a concern certainly for children and certainly for those
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  Speaker 2: of the disability and a mental impairment. And so I
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  Speaker 2: am tending to those concerns with regard to this bill going.
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  Speaker 1: Forward, Senator. The Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Madison was on
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  Speaker 1: the show earlier this morning as part of the Week
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  Speaker 1: that was. She says she wants to know why you've
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  Speaker 1: failed to stand up for Territorians on this one.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I want to know why she does, why she
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  Speaker 2: disregards the human rights of children of those with a
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  Speaker 2: disability or a mental impairment, and why she's also allowed
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  Speaker 2: for alcohol and crime to destroy the territory. You know,
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  Speaker 2: they can make these accusations, but we know what the
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  Speaker 2: state of the territory is right now, and I can
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  Speaker 2: say with my hand on my heart that I don't
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  Speaker 2: trust this government with decisions around that deal with the
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  Speaker 2: lives of Territorians because the track record, their track record
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  Speaker 2: speaks loud and clear. I know she had a whinge
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  Speaker 2: about their not being in our senators, Well she should know.
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  Speaker 2: This is a conversation more broadly about statehood and that's
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  Speaker 2: where I'm happy to go. I'm prepared to go down
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  Speaker 2: that path. And if the Territory government is that concerned,
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  Speaker 2: then they should be talking to Territorians about statehood as
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  Speaker 2: well and allowing Territorians to make that decision with their vote.
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  Speaker 1: Senator. I know, look, I know that people are going
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  Speaker 1: to be pretty divided on this one. By and large,
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  Speaker 1: we get a lot of support on the show for
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  Speaker 1: this change around territory rights and around the Territory Rights Bill.
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  Speaker 1: I know I have got a message that came through
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  Speaker 1: a little bit earlier this morning from Joe, and it says,
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  Speaker 1: good morning, Katie. Well, I never thought i'd say this,
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  Speaker 1: but I actually agree with the government at the moment,
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  Speaker 1: and I think that Just Enterprise has got it wrong.
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  Speaker 1: I heard her on the ABC radio this morning, and
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  Speaker 1: this is the first time it sounds like she doesn't
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  Speaker 1: have a point. It sounded like she was arguing just
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  Speaker 1: to stop the bill proceeding, and for no reason. I
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  Speaker 1: hope that she's not going to start playing politics like
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  Speaker 1: so many other politicians do, because up until this point,
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  Speaker 1: she's only ever spoken about real Northern Territory issues and
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  Speaker 1: real Northern Territory people. That is from one of our
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  Speaker 1: regular listeners, Joe.
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  Speaker 2: And look, I know, like I.
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  Speaker 1: Said, I know a lot of people have got really
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  Speaker 1: differing opinions here, but there are going to be people
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  Speaker 1: screaming at the radio this morning saying, you know, I
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  Speaker 1: didn't think that the Senator would vote this way.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, as I said, the bill, the final decision
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  Speaker 2: hasn't been determined. The bill is not going to be stopped.
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  Speaker 2: So people need to stop being concerned about this bill
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  Speaker 2: being stopped. That's not what I'm trying to do. I
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  Speaker 2: need to understand that I am pushing for safeguards. That
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  Speaker 2: is what I am doing with regards to this bill.
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  Speaker 2: People seem to think that it's gone through and that
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  Speaker 2: I've voted against it and then voted against territory the
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  Speaker 2: rights of territoriums. That is not the case. I'm voting.
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  Speaker 2: I'm asking for amendments to be considered. That's what I'm
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  Speaker 2: seeking to do.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Senator just Centerprice. As always, we appreciate your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning, and no doubt we'll probably talk to you
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  Speaker 1: again about this over the next week or so.
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  Speaker 2: No worries, thank you.