Storyline
This year’s rally is in support of the Private Members Bill now being introduced into the Parliament of Victoria to enact the right to die with dignity: the Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008. The rally will again be held on the steps of Parliament House, Spring Street, 1-2pm Wednesday 16th April.
The introduction of this Bill - “Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008” - stems from this same rally last year when hundreds of supporters gathered to demand law reform to enable the right to choose to die with dignity when suffering a terminal or incurable illness. Independent research shows that over 80% of Victorians believe in this right.
At last year’s rally, Dr Rodney Syme, DWDV Vice President said he gave Steve Guest medication and challenged the Victorian Parliament to get on with enacting legislation to enable doctors like him to respond to the requests of people like Steve Guest.
Speakers at this year's rally include:
- Co-sponsors of the Bill, the Hon. Ken Smith (Liberal, Bass) and Colleen Hartland (Greens, Western Metropolitan).
- Prof. David Kelly, former Chairman, Victorian Law Reform Commission.
- Lisa Fitzpatrick, Australian Nurseing Federation (Victorian State Secretary).
- Marshall Perron, (former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory) who introduced the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act into the NT in 2006.
Government recluctance to allow debate
The Government has recently said that it has a "full legislative year", signalling its reluctance to make time available for the debate of this Private Members Bill. The rally aims to send a clear message to the Parliament that the overwhelming majority of Victorians want this law reform and opinion polls have shown consistently that opinion has been in the majority for 40 years. Legislative reform therefore significantly lags the will of the people and the theme of the rally, directed at the Parliament, is “Let’s get on with it”.
Overwhelming and long-standing public support
The majority 80% of Australians (82% of Victorians) believe a terminally or incurably ill patient with profound suffering should have the right to choose physician assisted dying (PAD) as shown in a Newspoll survey conducted in February last year. Just 14% of Australians (13% of Victorians) are opposed.
- Four out of five Anglicans (82%) support PAD.
- Three out of four Catholics (74%) support PAD.
- More than two out of three of non-Christian faith (71%) support PAD.
- Nine out of ten of those with no religion (comprising nearly a fifth of Australians at the 2006 census) (91%) support PAD.
- Support for PAD has been consistently in the majority for 40 years.
"But the current law denies choice in all Australian jurisdictions," said Neil Francis, President of Dying with Dignity Victoria. "It provides penalties of up to 14 years jail for anyone who helps a sufferer to die."
A responsible framework
"This Bill is based on our responsible Legislative Charter that frames law reform to provide choice in a way that gives strong protection for the vulnerable," he said, "and it has been endorsed by respected groups and individuals, including Liberty Victoria, the Doctor's Reform Society of Australia and the Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch)."
"The reforms will provide stronger protection than is currently the case," he said. "The principle of the double effect currently allows a physician to administer a lethal dose provided his or her intention is to alleviate suffering, even though the dose clearly will shorten life. There is currently no formal process to test the doctor's intentions or patient wishes. Reform will provide those protections."
Sitting members also support
Supporters of dying with dignity have polled Parliamentary Members of both Houses for their position on this reform. More than half (53%) stated their position, with 76% supportive and 24% opposed.
"Opinion for law reform has been in the majority for 40 years, and now is the time for State Parliament to move forward on the issue", Francis said. "Some people seem to worry that many people are opposed, but it's clear that the overwhelming majority is in favour, so let's stop holding ourselves to ransom over a false belief."
"I call on the Brumby Government to allow debate and passage of this dying with dignity private member's bill through both Houses of Parliament," Francis announced.
Read about last year's rally here...
Steve Guest's Story—by Andrew Guest
John was the eldest of the three of us. He was three and a half years older than me and I was eighteen months older than Steve. We were all very different in terms of our personalities, with Steve being the family extrovert.
Our first two homes were in Balwyn and we all attended Balwyn State School up to grade six. I remember one very humorous occasion when Steve and myself walked to school one morning and found it was on fire.
After spending a suitable amount of time watching it burn and watching the firemen do their stuff, we walked home. With huge grins on our faces we told our mother that the school was on fire and we had all been sent home. She looked at us sternly, told us we were wicked, wicked boys for telling such a lie, and ordered us to return to school immediately.
We tried to convince her we were telling the truth but she knew from past experience we must be lying, so back to school we went. We were promptly shooed away and set off for home again. When our mother saw us return the expression on her face said she was about to really get stuck into us but Steve blurted out "It's still burning Mum, it's still burning!", and she finally believed us.
Steve's birthday was on the 21st of December, and he always felt 'dudded' because instead of giving him a birthday present and a Christmas present, friends and relatives would give him one only, and they would justify it on the grounds that the present, whatever it was, was somehow bigger, or better, or more significant than two ordinary presents. Steve was not fooled, and he didn't like it at all.
At about the time Steve started in Form 1 at Scotch College the family moved out to Heathmont, and Steve and myself became friends with half a dozen or so other kids of about our age in the area. We knocked about as a sort of benign gang right up until we all left our family homesin our early twenties, to strike out on our own.
We had some fantastic times together going to parties, having barbeques at night over at Pound Bend in Warrandyte, having fights with 'rockers' (we were 'jazzers'), meeting girls and taking them out, and all the fun of youth.
Due to his extroverted personality and high level of confidence Steve had lots of girlfriends. In fact he was the one who often brought girls into the group, which was incredibly beneficial for the rest of us.
In his early twenties, while I was in Vietnam, Steve was buried in a trench collapse at a building site where he was labouring. His workmates pulled him out alive but only just, and one of his legs was very badly crushed.
The surgeon who first saw him recommended immediate amputation of the leg but our mother was an experienced nurse and she knew that the surgeon concerned had a reputation for hasty amputations. She arrived at the hospital to find that Steve had already signed a form consenting to the amputation.
She demanded to see the form and as soon as she got her hands on it she tore it into shreds and arranged for another surgeon to examine Steve. The result was that Steve's leg was put back together with plates and pins, and although it gave him twinges and ached a bit at times it was fine for the rest of his life.
It was our father, Jim Guest, who instilled in us our love of bushwalking. He took the three of us over the Baw Baws a number of times when we were quite little. Steve and I were still at Balwyn State School so we must only have been about 8 or 10 at the time.
Despite being so little we carried all our own gear. Back then (over 50 years ago) the Baw Baws were relatively untamed, with no tracks to follow in many places, and we didn’t even have tents – we slept under the stars on groundsheets and pulled them over ourselves from one side if it rained.
On one of those walks we were behind schedule, making for the hut on Mt Erica, when darkness overtook us and a storm blew up with light snow and cold, driving winds. I remember Dad becoming very agitated and pushing us to go as fast as we could, when out of the gloom the hut appeared in front of us. Dad lit a fire in the fireplace and Steve and I huddled in front of it half naked drying our clothes on sticks in front of the fire.
They were great times for kids like us – full of adventure and excitement.
We remember Steve with much love and affection.
Andrew Guest (brother of Steve Guest).
Further Information
For further information, visit www.dwdv.org.au or call DWDV on 03 9877 7677.
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steve guest day parliament house rally 2008 media kit 
