Speeches
Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019
“If we are intellectually honest and reason through the theory of a euthanasia regime, we should conclude that it is inherently unsafe. The insufficiency of the criminal justice safeguards informs us of this. The prevalence of medical negligence informs us of this. The ease of doctor shopping informs us of this. The existence of elder abuse informs us of this, and the reality of doctor bias informs us of this.
There is a safe approach to end-of-life choices; however, it will require all of us to persistently insist that quality palliative care is made available to every Western Australian and until we, the 36 of us, have exhausted ourselves in fulfilling this duty, we should not contemplate a euthanasia regime, let alone this bill, which is more dangerous than the Victorian legislation and more dangerous than the now inoperative Northern Territory legislation.”
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Primary health care 2019
On 21 August 2019, I moved that the Legislative Council:
Note with grave concern the ongoing lack of proper access to primary health care in many regional and rural areas in our state; and
Call on the government to prioritise this as a matter of urgency
To read the rest of my motion and speech in full, click here
A True Conservative 2016
In the context of setting out what a true conservative is (in response to a journalist’s bizarre suggestion that the right wing of politics is hijacking the term conservative), I outlined many of the major areas of policy I have sought to influence during my term in Parliament.
To read my speech in full, click here
World Suicide Prevention Day 2015
On 10 September 2015, I moved a motion that:
Acknowledged World Suicide Prevention Day;
Recognised the efforts of the Barnett Liberal-National government for its efforts to combat the rise in suicide rates amongst Western Australians; and
Called on those advocating for the oxymoron “rational suicide” to immediately cease their dangerous advocacy and instead work with the rest of the state in implementing our suicide prevention plan 2020.
To read my speech in full, click here
International Men’s Day 2014
The day after International Men’s Day, I rose in the Legislative Council to:
Acknowledge that Wednesday, 19 November 2014, was International Men’s Day and to thank the men of Western Australia for their contribution to this state;
Recognise that in order for our interdependent society to be a truly great one, it requires, amongst other things, male role models who are both positive and effective; and
Implore all residents of Western Australia to encourage men and boys, irrespective of opportunities, finances or personal circumstances, to make life decisions based on the principles of integrity, dignity and respect.
We need to appreciate that in order to be pro-women and pro-children, one needs to also be pro-men. We undeniably live in an interdependent society.
To read my speech in full, click here
Child Euthanasia Speech 2014
On 10 April 2014 I moved that the Legislative Council:
Condemn the practice of child euthanasia;
Commend palliative care as an appropriate response to terminal and chronic illness;
Affirm the value of every human life including those with mental illness or disability; and
Endorse suicide prevention as the appropriate response to all those who for whatever reason may think life is not worth living.
To read my speech in full, click here
Maiden Speech 2009
During my Maiden Speech on 3 June 2009, which coincided with the consideration of the State Budget Papers, I outlined some of the reasons I decided to become a Member of Parliament such as witnessing the flaws in the Criminal Injuries Compensations Act 2003 during my career in the legal profession. That legislation failed to deliver justice to victims of sexual abuse, a situation that would have only worsened had the Prostitution Amendment Bill 2007 become law in our state. I also took the opportunity to thank family and friends and to express my honour to serve the people of the South Metropolitan Region.
To read my speech in full, click here
Articles
Mandatory reporting of health professionals: the case for a Western Australian style exemption for all Australian practitioners
The Journal of Law and Medicine, 2014, published an article entitled “Mandatory reporting of health professionals: the case for a Western Australian style exemption for all Australian practitioners” which was co-authored by Hon Nick Goiran MLC, Margaret Kay, Louise Nash and Georgie Haysom.
The article discusses the current mandatory reporting obligations for health practitioners in Australia under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. It provides a summary of the mandatory notification legislation, and contextualises the introduction of this law.
To obtain a copy of the journal article, click here
The Role of Parliament in Protecting Free Speech: Four Very Different Case Studies
This article was published in The West Australian Jurist,Vol 4 I discuss the vexed issue of freedom of speech. In this paper, I focus on the role of Australian State parliaments in protecting free speech and in limiting it, when considered justified by other public interests. I reference this to four different case studies: shield laws for journalists; the sexualisation of children; hate-speech laws and parliamentary privilege.
To read this article, click here
A Tale of Two Doctors: A Comparison of the Dekker and Nitschke Cases
I presented this paper at the Britain Pacific Medical & Legal Conference at The University of London on 5 January 2015. In it I compare the high profile case studies of two medical practitioners in the Australian jurisdiction. I co-authored this paper which sets out key moments in a twelve year time-frame from 2002 to 2014 and contrasts the treatment by The Medical Board of Australia of two practitioners in order to re-pose the question of what constitutes improper and/or infamous conduct for medical practitioners.
To access a copy of this paper, click here
INTEGRITY BODIES, WITNESS SURVEILLANCE AND LEGAL PROFESSIONAL PRIVILEGE: A CASE STUDY
I presented a lecture at the West Europe Pacific Legal Conference in Paris, France in January 2014 based on this paper I co-authored with Mr Michael Burton entitled Integrity Bodies, Witness Surveillance and Legal Professional Privilege: A Case Study.
To obtain a copy of the paper, click here
THE INHERENT FAILURE OF CURRENT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION IN PROSTITUTION
I co-authored this article with Mrs Anushka van der Veen to challenge the new and dominant discourse emerging in prostitution research, that sex work is not unlike any other occupation and that labour normalisation and the introduction of OHS principles have notably improved the health and safety of sex workers. Examination of the available literature on OHS in prostitution however, evidences that, in those jurisdictions where OHS guidelines are in place, implementation and enforcement has proved to be poor.
To access this article, click here