The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will move to start community consultations early next year on voluntary assisted dying laws after a quarter-century ban was overturned.
The Senate passed a repeal bill to remove the embargo on Australia’s two territories legislating on euthanasia after the Northern Territory (NT) became the first jurisdiction to legalise it in 1995.
Senators cheered and hugged as the Territory Rights Bill passed on Thursday, as advocates and political representatives from the ACT and NT looked on from the public gallery.
Finance Minister and ACT Senator Katy Gallagher branded it “a really significant and historic moment.”
The ACT’s second senator, David Pocock, said the bill came off the back of years of advocacy and stoic people coming forward and telling their stories.
“This has been a hard journey for so many in our community, who have been working for a quarter of a century to overturn the Andrews Bill,” he said.
“Tonight, this 47th parliament finally got the job done, and now a quarter-century-long injustice has been righted for the people of the ACT and NT.
“This is a historic moment and is owed to thousands of people in our communities who have refused to let this fall off the national agenda.”
Labor’s Luke Gosling, who introduced the repeal bill in the lower house, said injustice had finally been overturned.
“It’s right that the territories have now finally been able to win back equal democratic footing with other Australians,” the member for Solomon said.
“The Commonwealth should not ever overrule territory sovereignty again.”
Chief Minister Andrew Barr says he hopes to have legislation before the ACT Legislative Assembly in the second half of next year and have it voted on by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
Consultations will start in February.
“For too long, Canberrans have been treated like second-class citizens,” he said.
ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee also welcomed the legislation passing.
“Canberrans deserve the right for their local parliament to legislate on this matter,” she said.
Lee said the Liberals respected the wide range of views in the community but maintained the assembly should have the right to vote on the matter.
All members will be given a conscience vote.
“Indigenous communities believe euthanasia is abhorrent, frightening, and at odds with the way they deal with dying culturally,” the ACL said.
“Furthermore, with young Indigenous Australian suicide rates more than twice as high as non-Indigenous Australians, and suicide rates steadily rising for Indigenous males, it is entirely inappropriate for MPs to be focused on legislating assisted suicide in the very place that has the highest population of Indigenous Australians—the NT.
