The ACT and Northern Territory have joined forces to call on the Federal Government to restore the jurisdictions’ rights to legislate on the issue of voluntary assisted dying.
Minister for Human Rights, Tara Cheyne said that she and the Northern Territory Attorney-General had written a joint letter to the Federal Attorney-General, the Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories and the Deputy Prime Minister.
“In this letter we have emphasised our ongoing concerns about the stark inequity between States and Territories regarding voluntary assisted dying,” Ms Cheyne said.
“This is clearly demonstrated in that, by mid-2021, all Australian States will have either passed legislation relating to voluntary assisted dying or have a Bill before their Parliament,” she said.
“The Territories remain banned from considering legislation of this kind thanks to laws passed by the Federal Parliament more than 20 years ago.”
“It is untenable and indefensible,” she said.
Ms Cheyne said the situation was inconsistent with Australia’s international human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Australia was a party.
“By prohibiting the citizens of the ACT and the NT from deciding for themselves—through their elected representatives—whether to legislate in the area of voluntary assisted dying, the Federal Government may be limiting this human right,” the Minister said.
“It is hard to fathom—and embarrassing—that the Federal Government allows a situation to persist which limits some residents’ human rights in our own country,” she said.
Ms Cheyne said, regardless of individual views, there shouldn’t be any controversy in allowing the ACT and NT to decide for themselves whether or not to introduce legislation on voluntary assisted dying, and to allow citizens of the Territories an equal opportunity to legislate on the matter.
