Labor takes next step on voluntary euthanasia rights for ACT and NT

Terminally ill people in two parts of Australia have received some huge news from Labor after a 25-year ban on assisted dying.

Terminally ill people living in the ACT and the Northern Territory are one step closer to being able to choose when they die.

Australia’s two territories could regain the right to make their own voluntary assisted dying laws as soon as next week after a decision by the federal Labor caucus.

The caucus met on Monday to determine the Albanese government’s priority pieces of legislation which will be introduced this fortnight as the 47th parliament officially opens.

Among them is a private member’s Bill to overturn the ban on the ACT and NT legislating on matters such as assisted dying, which will be introduced to federal parliament on August 1.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his MPs will move to grant territories the right to set their own laws on voluntary euthanasia. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Labour caucus has agreed to grant MPs a conscience vote on the Territory Rights Bill, which is unusual given the party’s rules require voting as a bloc on most legislation.

The Bill will be introduced by NT-based Solomon MP Luke Gosling and ACT MP Alicia Payne.

The caucus has agreed to allow debate on the legislation during the time allocated for government business next Monday and also in the Federation Chamber on Tuesday.

Canberra MP Alicia Payne is one of the MPs pushing for the legislation. Picture: Jamila Toderas

House leader Tony Burke said the process has been designed to speed up the Bill’s progress to put it to a vote in the House of Representatives as soon as possible.

It is expected to pass the Senate, where the Greens and independent senator David Pocock have indicated their support for the reform.

Every state has now passed laws making voluntary euthanasia legal for terminally ill adults, but a 25-year ban introduced by the Howard government has prevented the ACT and NT from doing so.

Former MP Kevin Andrews championed the bill in 1996 and succeeded in overturning the NT’s landmark 1995 legislation, which would have granted euthanasia rights much sooner.