Northern Territory Government Cowardice On Law Debate

The Government's attempt to conceal an inconvenient truth by combining two separate issues into one is an abuse of parliamentary convention and should be condemned.

Controversial issues like abortion are usually treated with sensitivity when debated in parliaments out of respect for the moral and ethical nature of the issue. Most often Members are offered a free vote when discussing such matters. Not so with the Northern Territory Labor Party, not only is a conscience vote not permitted but the Medical Services Bill is treated as a mere technicality and combined with a completely different Bill to ease it passage and obscure its controversial nature.

"These changes to the area of the law of Provocation and Abortion are changes to completely different areas of law.” Member for Blain Terry Mills said today.

"When the Government wants to bring laws in to be heard together it is because they affect each other and it makes sense to talk about them as the one issue.

"These issues are separate and important enough to deserve separate treatment.

"No matter what your position on abortion is, surely most people would agree that changes to the law surrounding abortion deserve careful and considered debate.

"The issue is diminished substantially when the Government chooses to piggy back the law of abortion onto changes to another part of the Criminal Code.

"Combining two distinctly different issues to obscure and diminish a controversial issue like abortion is wrong. Government likes to project itself as knowing better than the people they're supposed to serve.

"To misuse a parliamentary convention to sweep an important community issue under the carpet is unconsciounable.

"It is difficult to serve in a parliament that is merely a rubberstamp for ALP meetings held behind closed doors.

"Democracy is dying in the Territory.”

2006-10-11