Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown will today introduce a bill to overturn the ban on territory governments' right to legislate for death with dignity.

"Yesterday the new Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull declared the Liberal party stood for freedom of choice and respect for the individual," Senator Brown said.

"The Greens bill will restore the rights of Territory parliaments to assist terminally ill people choose a death with dignity. I hope both Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd will commit to a conscience vote when Parliament sits in October," Senator Brown said.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown will introduce a fresh bill on euthanasia to the Senate in the coming week.

This coincides with the heartfelt plea for euthanasia laws, to the Rudd Labor government, from young Melbourne writer Angelique Flowers (The Age, 13/09/2008) who died in agony 'the law wouldn't let a dog suffer'.

Senator Brown's bill will lift the 1997 Commonwealth ban on the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory legislating for euthanasia and follows a Senate committee report into his earlier bill.

The Australian Greens today outlined their vision for Australia in the new century ahead of the opening of the Balance-of-Power Senate.

Australian Greens Leader, Senator Bob Brown, said a record 1.17 million people voted Greens at the last election, and the five Greens Senators were ready to work constructively with all parties to respond to the challenges of the new century.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown says his bill to restore the rights of the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory to legislate on euthanasia will proceed in the Senate.
 
"I am confident it will pass both Houses. The Opposition has agreed to a conscience vote and I expect the Prime Minister will too," Senator Brown said.
 
The Senate Committee which reviewed Senator Brown's bill reported today with the Chair, Senator Crossin, and Labor members supporting the bill if restructured to confirm that the 1995 Northern Territory Rights of the Terminally Ill Act is null and void. Senator Brown said he would amend the bill so that the Territory would need new legislation to provide for rights of terminally ill people.
 
"I will separately review the ability of the Commonwealth to take up the issue of euthanasia. A recent Newspoll showed that 80% of Australians want appropriate laws," Senator Brown said.
 
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Greens Leader Bob Brown has written to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd seeking a conscience vote on voluntary euthanasia legislation, Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill 2008, which Senator Brown will introduce in the Senate next week.
 
"My bill will restore the legitimacy of the Northern Territory legislation allowing voluntary euthanasia for terminally ill patients after rigorous conditions have been applied. The bill will effectively support the Australian Capital Territory to legislate for voluntary euthanasia as well," Senator Brown said.
 
"One of the first acts of the Howard government was to permit a conscience vote on Kevin Andrews' bill to override the Northern Territory's Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995.  Now, twelve years later the Greens want to restore the right of thousands of Australians to choose a dignified death – a right that was over-ridden by a political agenda without care or compassion."
 
"Every opinion poll since the 1980s has shown that the vast majority of Australians back voluntary euthanasia legislation along the lines of that in the Netherlands and Oregon," Senator Brown said.
  
Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today warned Archbishop George Pell against threatening federal members of parliament after he threatened Catholic members of NSW state parliament to vote against stem cell legislation.
"Cardinal Pell's threats that there would be religious 'consequences' for Catholic MPs who voted for the stem cell legislation are completely unacceptable," Senator Brown said.
"Attempting to coerce Catholic members of the NSW state parliament is a serious matter. Cardinal Pell should understand that it could be a criminal matter if similar remarks were used to coerce federal politicians."
The Criminal Code Act 1995 provides a penalty of up to 12 years imprisonment for threatening commonwealth public officials and for both the giver and receiver of inducements for commonwealth public officials (including federal politicians) to change their behaviour.
Senator Brown also noted the Senate Standing Orders state that inflicting a punishment, or depriving a senator of any benefit on account of the senator's performance of their duties may be treated as contempts.

"I urge Cardinal Pell to refrain from bullying Catholic MPs with religious 'consequences' when the Senate votes on my voluntary euthanasia bill, or any other matter of conscience," Senator Brown said.

Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603

Greens Leader Bob Brown today called for a conscience vote on his voluntary euthanasia private members' bill, which will be introduced into the Senate this week. Senator Brown's Australian Territories Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill 2007 would legalise voluntary euthanasia for the terminally ill living in the Commonwealth territories, and provide protection against the possibility of abuse of the rights recognised by the Act.  
"I have written to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition seeking a conscience vote on voluntary euthanasia," Senator Brown said.
 
"Last year the Parliament revisited, and approved, the limited use of therapeutic cloning, as well as the use of the drug RU-486. It is high time that the right of terminally ill Australians to die with dignity was debated in the Parliament again. There is enormous public support for this legislation," Senator Brown said.
 
Senator Brown also asked the Prime Minister to set aside time for the bill to be debated and voted on in both Houses of Parliament in the first half of the year.
 
Further information: Ebony Bennett 0409 164 603