By Raquel Mustillo
MEMBER for Mount Gambier Troy Bell has defended abstaining from the final vote of the state’s historic and controversial abortion laws despite voting on a number of amendments during the marathon debate.
Parliamentarians were granted a conscience vote on the bill – introduced to the Lower House by Attorney-General Vickie Chapman – which removes abortion from criminal law and allows termination beyond 23 weeks in certain circumstances.
The independent MP raised concerns with the lack of safeguards in the original Termination of Pregnancy Bill ahead of the debate, including preventing abortions being performed due to sex selection and the potential for discrimination against doctors who are conscientious objectors.
By Raquel Mustillo
APPROXIMATELY 90pc of the landscape destroyed in Avenue-Blackford fire is owned by Country Fire Service (CFS) volunteers, with losses ranging from $50,000 to $107,000, according to Lucindale CFS group officer Patrick Ross.
But the blaze, which destroyed one house and several property, could have been worse if not for a drain located roughly 24km from Lucindale, which acted as a natural fire barrier.
Mr Ross explained the impact of the blaze to Premier Steven Marshall, Emergency Services Minster Vincent Tarzia and CFS chief officer Mark Jones during a tour of the five-ravaged Avenue, Blackford and Lucindale area last week.
By Raquel Mustillo
LABOR heavyweight and former Limestone Coast resident Kyam Maher has emotionally remembered watching the painful death of his mother and community stalwart Viv in a passionate debate about euthanasia laws.
Mr Maher has introduced landmark legislation to legalise voluntary assisted dying in South Australia into the Legislative Council, which if passed would provide terminally ill patients a choice to access euthanasia.
The opposition frontbencher tearfully spoke about Ms Maher, who passed away of pancreatic cancer in 2017, describing her death as “far from the peaceful, dignified end of life she or any other person deserves”.
He told the chamber of her advocacy work for marginalised communities, including the Indigenous, which included running Mount Gambier’s women’s shelter, working as a social worker at Centrelink and her efforts at Pangula Mannamurna.