Senate holds final vote on territory rights in late-night sitting
A landmark bill to overturn an archaic law which banned two governments from legislating on one thing has passed the Senate.
A quarter of a century ban on the Northern Territory and ACT from legislating on euthanasia has been lifted.
The Bill passed the Senate last night after the Coalition put forward two last-minute amendments to add safeguards to ban euthanasia for people under the age of 18 and restrict access for people with disability.
But Finance Minister Katy Gallagher argued the amendments could have left the Territorians unable to legislate voluntary assisted dying.
“If this amendment were to pass, it would render anything the territory legislatures ineffective. So it’s an anti-repeal amendment,” she said.
“Our job is to get out of the way and let them have the same legislative responsibilities and powers as the parliaments of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia.”
The upper house shot down the amendments and voted in favour of the Bill, which passed on the voices.
Senators and advocates for the legislation in the public gallery celebrated with a round of applause after it was passed.
The legislation does not legalise voluntary assisted dying in the NT or ACT, but it paves the way for territory governments to debate the issue.
“This Bill is about saying the ACT and NT should have the same right as the states in Australia to consult, to debate, to legislate, on this very important issue,” senator David Pocock said.
Both Labor and Coalition senators were granted conscience votes on the private members Bill. All 12 Greens senators voted for the Bill.
The Country Liberals’ Jacinta Nampijinpa Price told the Senate she “absolutely supported” territorian rights.
Tonight I voted to support Territory Rights and I will be watching Territory Labor to ensure they protect our vulnerable should they begin to legislate Voluntarily Assisted Dying!
— Jacinta Nampijinpa (@JNampijinpa) December 1, 2022
In 1997, after the NT became the first place in the world to legalise voluntary assisted dying, the federal parliament legislated to override the right of the territories from legalising voluntary assisted dying.
Former chief minister Marshall Perron, who was behind the landmark Bill in the NT, was present in the Senate’s public gallery as the debate stretched into the evening.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and territorian lower house MPs Luke Gosling, Alicia Payne and Marion Scrymgour were also present for the debate.
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