Bob Katter and Federal Parliament
So Bob Katter, federal member for Kennedy, does not want to pay the price to participate in our democracy during the current crisis.
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The price being 14 days in isolation in exchange for an all expenses paid ( and then some) trip to Canberra.
Guess it gets a bit tedious after a couple of decades.
Good job we are not fighting a war with him by our side.
Time to cash in the super Mr Katter.
Tim Carberry
Voluntary Assisted Dying should be an election issue
It would be beneficial to our whole community if more state MPs and candidates seeking election to the Queensland Parliament on 31 October took an interest in the issue of voluntary assisted dying.
Recently I participated in a very useful public forum on VAD arranged by Aaron Harper, the state MP for Thuringowa who chaired the Health Committee Inquiry that recommended VAD laws for Queensland.
That recommendation was acted on by Premier Palaszczuk who asked the Queensland Law Reform Commission to draft a VAD Bill and return it by March next year. But the fate of VAD laws now rests with voters and the people they choose as their local MPs in October. Unless a majority in the next parliament support VAD laws they will not become a reality.
Australian Palliative Care Outcome Collaboration figures show that severe symptoms of suffering persist and are unable to be relieved in approximately 15% of people in the period leading up to death.
Inability to control all suffering at end of life is recognised by a majority of doctors with polling by the leading medical publication Australian Doctor in 2016 revealing two out of three supported VAD law reform.
Parliamentary inquiries have shown a significant number of people have non remediable end of life suffering leading to poor quality of death and terminally ill people are taking distressing actions.
Copious evidence now exists to clearly demonstrate that safeguards in VAD laws work and that the so called "slippery slope" arguments by VAD opponents have no basis.
Those seeking to represent Queenslanders in our next State Parliament should know that they will secure voter support if they back VAD laws. Voters in turn need to satisfy themselves that the people they choose to represent them truly reflect their views on this important issue.
Dr Sid Finnigan
Queensland State Convenor
Doctors for Assisted Dying Choice
Malaya and Borneo veterans
On 31 August each year Australia commemorates Malaya and Borneo Veterans' Day, recognising the valuable contribution of our personnel who served in two post-Second World War conflicts, the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), and the Indonesian Confrontation, or Konfrontasi, (1962-1966).
Although sensitivities surrounding the conflicts prevented widespread media coverage at the time, our Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel played an important role in bringing these conflicts to an end.
The Malayan Emergency was declared three years after the end of the Second World War, when the Malayan Communist Party launched an insurgency against British colonial rule.
Australia's commitment began in 1950 with the Royal Australian Air Force. They were joined by the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army in 1955.
On 31 July this year, we marked 60 years since the end of the Malayan Emergency and while the Malayan government declared the Emergency over on 31 July 1960, some Australian units remained in Malaya until 1963.
Darren Chester
Minister for Veterans' Affairs
