“In this spirit we have announced a number of initiatives today to enrich the public debate.”

These initiatives include:

1) Support for the terminally ill

McKenzie noted, “At least 80% of Australians believe that others should have the right to choose their time when the suffering is unstoppable or if the disease is terminal.”
“While legislating this issue at a State level is a step forward, we propose that this should be addressed at a Federal level to uniformly provide these rights to the terminally ill and equally as importantly, allowing them to be close to home, family and friends at that time.”

2) Making organ donation opt-out

“Last year there were 1080 people on the kidney transplant waiting list and only 237 donors. To help address this chronic shortage, the government introduced a payment to Living donors.”
“Our plan – similar to one being considered in the UK – will better address this challenge. We recommend a plan whereby everyone is automatically listed as a potential organ donor unless they choose not to be. This will save countless lives. It is practical and still honours the wishes of the individual. ”
“Apart from the clear social benefit, there is also an economic benefit. For example, in the case of kidney haemodialysis, the cost is over $50,000 a year per patient.”

3) Tackling gambling advertising and problem gambling

“This is incredibly important because up to 500,000 Australians are at risk of becoming problem gamblers and an activity that used to take place at a destination can now take place in your home via the internet at any time.”
According to the AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, “Young people, in particular, were at heightened risk of developing problems with gambling, and there needed to be a comprehensive and coordinated response from all levels of government to tackle the problem”. The AMA also noted there is been a rapid increase in problem gambling in young men. Given that for every problem gambler there are up to 10 people – family, friends, workmates and employers – who feel the effects, urgent attention must be given to this issue.^1

“The Lamington party proposes:
– Restricting gambling television advertisements to the “M” rating timeslots of 8.30pm to 5am each day with no exemptions
– Aligning pokie licensing with population changes and introducing a pokie licence ‘buy-back’ scheme
– And commissioning of a new report on problem online gambling with a focus on prevention.”

“The Lamington Party is dedicated to quality of life, equality, sustainability and innovation. We hope that these initiatives, along with others already announced will help encourage more robust debate and strengthen our society.”

ABOUT THE LAMINGTON PARTY
The Lamington Party, named after the uniquely Australian dessert, is focused on bringing Australia’s problem-solving skills, ingenuity and generosity to the fore. It is a new political party with equality, sustainability and innovation at its heart and sustainable development at the core of its policies. The name is sweet but the policies are serious. More can be found online at www.lamington.org.au

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FOR ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES CONTACT
Jason McKenzie 0423 027 287
[email protected]

REFERENCES
^1 https://ama.com.au/position-statement/health-effects-problem-gambling