Euthanasia and Territory Rights are linked, any politician saying otherwise is wrong

Ask many politicians about “Territory Rights” and they’ll try to tell you it has nothing to do with euthanasia but this is nonsense, writes Matt Cunningham.

Ask many politicians about “Territory Rights” and they’ll try to tell you it has nothing to do with euthanasia.

This is nonsense. These two issues are intrinsically linked and remain so after the bill co-sponsored by Labor Solomon MP Luke Gosling passed the senate last week.

The Restoring Territory Rights bill repeals Section 50A of the Northern Territory Self Government Act.

This is the section inserted in 1997 when the federal parliament overturned the NT’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act.

Despite the misconceptions held by many southerners, the Territory is a pretty progressive place.

When it came to assisted dying, we were a world leader.

Matt Cunningham is the Northern Australia Correspondent and Darwin Bureau Chief at Sky News Picture: Justin Kennedy

While the Netherlands and the US state of Oregon had previously condoned euthanasia, the Northern Territory was the world’s first legislative assembly to pass a law explicitly condoning voluntary assisted dying.

We did this in 1995, some 22 years before Victoria boasted about being the “first state” to legalise euthanasia.

Of course in 1997, a group of federal politicians - led by Victorian Liberal Kevin Andrews and supported by outside of parliament by Labor’s Tony Burke – decided the Northern Territory shouldn’t be able to legislate on an issue as important as euthanasia.

The federal parliament passed the Euthanasia Laws Act, effectively quashing the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act.

It’s the issue of euthanasia specifically, rather than the broader issue of Territory Rights, that has since angered Territorians.

Voluntary assisted dying laws have now been passed in every Australian state.

But until last week, the world-leading Northern Territory had been prohibited from doing so. In 2010, the NT News conducted a survey of 1000 readers.

Eighty-four per cent wanted euthanasia returned in the NT.

Just 43 per cent wanted statehood.

With all of this in mind, it was odd to see the statement released by the Northern Territory Government on the night the Territory Rights bill passed the senate.

There was one key word missing; euthanasia.

“Territorians know what is best for the Northern Territory – not politicians in Canberra,” the statement said.

Indeed. And in 1995 Territorians decided it was best to allow people suffering from a terminal illness to die with dignity.

Yet the Northern Territory Government now says it has no plans to legislate on euthanasia in this term of government.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says the issue is incredibly complex and that extensive community consultation will be required before legislation can be introduced.

It’s true there are serious concerns about euthanasia in sections of our community, in particular among some Aboriginal Territorians.

These concerns were raised by CLP Senator Jacinta Price when she voted against the Territory Rights Bill’s second reading, and Labor Senator Patrick Dodson – a former Wadeye Catholic priest – who told Catholic Weekly in September he would abstain from voting on this bill.

But the Northern Territory had this debate 27 years ago.

We don’t need to have it again.

Bob Dent was first person to die under voluntary euthanasia laws in the NT.

Perhaps the government is proceeding with caution on this issue because it has spent all of its credits with faith-based groups on its poorly-managed anti-discrimination bill.

The CLP also seems reluctant to bring forward legislation.

An opportunity now presents itself for an independent who could significantly lift their personal profile and put some serious pressure on the government if they were to bring forward a private members’ bill.

Time will tell.

On September 22, 1996, Darwin man Bob Dent became the first person to use the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act to legally end his own life.

In a letter he dictated the day before his death he described the physical and emotional pain he had experienced as he battled the prostate cancer he knew would eventually take his life. He was able to die a comfortable death with his wife Judy by his side because a forward-thinking parliament believed it was the decent thing to do.

For the past 25 years Judy Dent has been fighting for other Territorians to have the same right to a dignified death.

Angie Miller and Judy Dent are advocates for voluntary assisted dying. Angie has spent the past year advocating throughout rural SA.

She wasn’t celebrating last Thursday when the Restoring Territory Rights Bill passed the Senate.

She knew this was only the first step in her battle.

“I am tired,” she said.

“I’m not getting any younger and I don’t know how much longer I can keep fighting this thing. But I’m not going to stop.”

It is now our government, however, not the nasty blow-ins from Canberra, who are standing in her way.

Originally published as Euthanasia and Territory Rights are linked, any politician saying otherwise is wrong