Shane Stone
Shane Leslie Stone (25 September 1950— ) is an Australian political figure and was Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from May 1995 to February 1999. He was President of the Liberal Party of Australia from 1999 to 2005.
Born in Wodonga, Stone entered politics in 1990 when he was elected to the seat of Port Darwin as a member of the Country Liberal Party. He held several portfolios in the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory before succeeding Marshall Perron as Chief Minister after Perron's resignation in 1995.
As a practicing Catholic, he personally opposed euthanasia and voted against the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act. However, he also opposed the 1996 motion to overturn it by voting against Neil Bell's private member's bill, Respect for Human Life, saying (of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act) "this was legislation duly passed after due process has not been given an opportunity to either succeed or fail." (Stanley, 1996).
Stone was Chief Minister when Federal Parliament repealed the Territory's Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in 1997. Despite his personal misgivings regarding voluntary euthanasia, he supported the Territorian right to self-legislate. At the time, he tabled a statement:
"It is one thing for legislation to be challenged in a Court on constitutional grounds [...] It is quite another for laws, validly enacted and within the power of this democratically elected Parliament to be able to be overturned on the whim and personal predilection of a member of another Parliament. In the event that the Commonwealth Parliament passes this legislation [the Euthanasia Laws Bill], then I view that as an affront to the sovereignty of the Legislative Assembly and the people of the Northern Territory." (Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory, 1996)
"No matter how bad I felt about euthanasia, I'd rather that Territorians made those decisions for themselves rather than having them made from Canberra," he was quoted by Stafford as remarking in 2006.
Stone resigned from Territorian politics to take up leadership of the Federal Liberal Party in 1999. He was made Companion of the Order of Australia in 2006.
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. (August 22, 1996). Ministerial Statement: Hon. Shane L. Stone, Chief Minister. https://hdl.handle.net/10070/403358.
Stafford, A. (12 June, 2006). "Shane Stone Companion of the Order of Australia". The Age. https://www.theage.com.au/national/shane-stone-companion-of-the-order-of-australia-20060612-ge2i2g.html
