X-Message-Number: 6394 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 08:01:49 -0700 From: David Brandt-Erichsen <> Subject: New threat to Australia law >From The Age, Melbourne, July 27 PM SIGNALS CHALLENGE TO EUTHANASIA The Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, yesterday strongly opposed the Northern Territory euthanasia legislation, and left the way open for Federal Parliament to block the plan. Federal Cabinet will meet next week to discuss the possibility of Canberra overriding the legislation that would allow euthanasia to be practised in the territory from 1 July. Mr Howard is believed to have ruled out direct intervention by the Federal Government, but indicated yesterday that he would permit a conscience vote among coalition MPs if one of them proposed a private member's bill to overturn the NT plan. Several coalition MPs opposed to the NT legislation have vowed to introduce private member's bills in the House of Representatives seeking to override it if a legal challenge fails. Opponents say potential for Canberra to veto the legislation is contained in section 122 of the Constitution, which allows the Federal Government to make laws for the territories. Mr Howard, while ruling out direct legislative action by the Federal Government, said it would move for the High Court to take over a challenge to the NT laws. The challenge is now taking place in the NT Supreme Court. He told a joint party room meeting of coalition MPs he was "personally strongly opposed" to the NT plan and he expected the High Court to decide finally on the legality of the world-first legislation. The Northern Territory's Chief Minister, Mr Shane Stone, reacted angrily to yesterday's developments, and said that any attempt to override a territory law would be resisted. He said he had "deep concerns about the integrity" of the territory legal system if the issues were removed to the High Court. Mr Stone is also an opponent of euthanasia, but said he would abide by the will of the Parliament when it passed the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in May last year. <David Brandt-Erichsen> Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6394