News Weekly readers may recall that a euthanasia bill seemed set to pass South Australia’s parliamentary upper house, the Legislative Council, recently (News Weekly, November 14). If carried, it would have marked the first time a state parliamentary house in Australia had supported such legislation and would have given the cause of euthanasia considerable momentum,…
The National Civic Council (NCC)’s founder, the late B.A. “Bob” Santamaria (1915-1998), has been both praised as a prophet and condemned as a doomsayer. In light of Australia’s current economic and political problems, however, his ideas more than ever deserve revisiting. This is particularly so in regards to the Liberal Party, of whose woes Mr…
There is nothing unusual in the South Australian Parliament debating a euthanasia bill. Indeed, it seems to happen with predictable regularity, year in, year out. This difference this time, however, is the chance of such legislation passing. There are currently two euthanasia bills in SA: one in the House of Assembly (the lower house), courtesy…
The past year has seen a surge of activity by Australian lobby groups, many of which are taxpayer-funded statutory bodies. On issues, ranging from same-sex marriage to equal opportunity laws and charters of rights, these groups have had plenty to say. One such example is the Australian Human Rights Commission, whose activities persist in the…