Northern Territory Introduces Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill

[Wombat]

There is a certain sad irony that the Northern Territory (NT), which was the first state or territory to allow Voluntary Assisted Dying, is now the last jurisdiction to introduce it.

It should be passed by the NT assembly in 2026 - 30 years ago such a law was introduced but was overridden by the Howard Government who produced a bill to stop it. That bill was recently removed by the Labor government allowing the NT to go ahead with their own bill.

The NT is a territory not a state so the Federal government can override any of its laws.

The film “The Last Cab to Darwin” was made about the original bill - a very good film if you haven’t seen it.

NT to introduce Voluntary Assisted Dying bill mid-2026

 

[January]

I didn't realise it wasn't legal there yet , all others states and ACT ( also a territory for non australian readers) have this in place already.

 

[Rider77]

No need to go up north. Just wander around Chicago or New York City.

 

[Wombat]

I didn't realise it wasn't legal there yet , all others states and ACT ( also a territory for non australian readers) have this in place already.

The ACT has always had a more progressive government than the NT, they responded quickly after the Federal Labor Government repealed the Howard clause banning the territories from enacting VAD laws.

The NT's conservative CLP government took months to produce a report in Sept 2025 after a landslide election in 2024 and the bill won't be introduced until mid 2026.

NT to introduce Voluntary Assisted Dying bill mid-2026

 

[January]

No need to go up north. Just wander around Chicago or New York City.

Bit hard if you are in Australia and have a terminal illness