The Northern Territory government will introduce a bill on voluntary assisted dying in the middle of 2026 after a long parliamentary inquiry into the legislation ended in September 2025.
Members will be allowed a conscience vote on the bill which will establish whether the people of the NT have the legal right to euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby told National Indigenous Times. the parliament was “taking time to get this right” and would consider eligibility, assessment, timeframes, and safeguards for the legislation.
Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci has reaffirmed the church’s position of the sanctity of life and called on the government to provide high-quality palliative care in the territory.
If the bill goes through, it will be the second time the NT has had legislated euthanasia as the territory introduced the first VAD law in the world in 1997, which was struck down in 2015 by a federal act.
