GREENS leader Nick McKim is hitting the phones in a last ditch effort to secure support for a bid to legalise voluntary euthanasia, with at least one backbencher wavering.
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Mr McKim said yesterday the result of Thursday's vote on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill, co-sponsored with Premier Lara Giddings, will come down to one or two votes. He said he had been making phone calls to his colleagues yesterday and would continue discussions today.
Labor backbencher Graeme Sturges, who voted against Mr McKim's Dying with Dignity legislation in 2009, is likely to be on Mr McKim's call list.
Mr Sturges, who is believed to be leaning towards supporting the revised legislation this time, said yesterday he was very close to making up his mind.
``I'm weighing up my personal considerations and a number of representations from constituents,'' Mr Sturges said.
Even with the support of Mr Sturges the bill is unlikely to succeed, with three other Labor MPs joining all 10 Liberals against it.
Opposition deputy leader Jeremy Rockliff yesterday declared he would not support the bill, saying he was concerned it left vulnerable people open to exploitation and believed more could be done to strengthen palliative care.
Mr Rockliff defended his party's voting pattern on social reforms and said the party had not made a political decision to oppose this bill.
``We all have our reasons for voting for or against such legislation and they are often very personal to individuals,'' Mr Rockliff said.
However, he said social reform was not a priority and Parliament should put jobs ``first, second and third'' with social issues ``well down the list''.
While the right-to-die legislation is expected to take up much of tomorrow and Thursday, the government is also expected to debate the Residential Property Transactions Act.
The move has angered the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania, which said it had not been consulted and argued the bill would overly complicate the process for buying and selling property.
The government will also table the new Aboriginal Heritage Act.
Heritage Minister Brian Wightman said extensive consultation since the first draft was released last year had resulted in some changes.
A revised draft released earlier this year removed the arbitrary cut-off year of 1876 for recognising Aboriginal heritage, granted developers appeal rights and increased the maximum penalty for anyone who harms Aboriginal heritage.