Lib MP ‘wrecking’ WA assisted dying bill

WEST Australian Liberal powerbroker Nick Goiran has been accused of trying to wreck the voluntary assisted dying bill, with the premier calling on the party’s leader to “pull him into line”.

The staunch conservative has moved hundreds of amendments to the bill and spent three sitting days debating the first of 184 clauses.

Premier Mark McGowan said he was outraged.

“His behaviour is disgraceful – he’s just trying to wreck the bill with these ridiculous, endless amendments,’ Mr McGowan told reporters on Thursday.

“This is poor form. We want to do the right thing for people who are dying and in agony, and Mr Goiran is trying to stop us.”

Mr McGowan called on opposition leader Liza Harvey to “pull him into line”.

“Get this bloke under control, otherwise we won’t be able to get this to a vote.

“You can’t say that you think the bill should be properly debated then get to a vote and allow someone to put nearly 400 amendments on the notice paper.

“They’ll do anything to try to stymie the bill.”

Ms Harvey defended Mr Goiran, saying the amendments were “consequential”.

“If one of them fails, 30 of them will fall off the paper,” she told reporters.

Peter Collier, the leader of the Liberals in the upper house and another party powerbroker, had assured her the bill would be passed by year end as hoped by Mr McGowan, she added.

“I’m comfortable with that.

“I don’t know why the government is being so impatient in trying to rush the processes of parliament.”

Mr Goiran told ABC radio the amendments aimed to lift the standard of the legislation to that in Victoria and the Northern Territory.

He said it didn’t matter whether the bill was passed before the end of the year or months later.

Mr Goiran is getting a reputation for relentless filibustering.

Earlier this year, he delivered one of the longest speeches in WA parliament’s history – talking for almost 23 hours over nearly two months – in his successful bid to delay surrogacy laws.