The jurisdiction that led the country in legalising voluntary euthanasia in 1995 is now set to be the last in Australia to roll out voluntary assisted dying.
In a historic decision, the Finocchiaro CLP Government will introduce its Right of the Terminally Ill Bill 2026 tomorrow, marking the culmination of a 30-year push to restore the Northern Territory’s right to voluntary assisted dying (VAD).
A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office confirmed with The Medical Republic that the first reading of the bill will be on Thursday.
NT chief minister Lia Finocchiaro said this was a pivotal moment for the territory, with the bill set to become law in August.
“For the first time in three decades, a Territory Government is bringing legislation to the Parliament that gives rights of voluntary assisted dying to the terminally ill,” the chief minister said.
The NT is developing clinical guidelines and implementation strategies, with the chief minister announcing VAD services will be available within the next 18 months.
Attorney General Marie-Clare Boothby said the reforms have arrived after significant consultations on safeguards and support for terminally ill Territorians.
“We’ve consulted widely, listened carefully, and at every step, our framework has been designed to ensure that decisions are voluntary and informed, with strong safeguards to protect the most vulnerable,” Ms Boothby said.
On 30 September 2025, the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory submitted its final report for VAD, making 86 recommendations.
Which of these recommendations were upheld will not be known until the bill is introduced on Thursday, Dr Katrine Del Villar, an expert legal advisor on VAD’s final report, told TMR.
In 1995, the NT Legislative Assembly was the first place in the world to legalise VAD in its Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, following intense deliberation in parliament led by Chief Minister Marshall Perron.
But only four people with terminal illness were approved under the scheme, and three died using the provision before the federal government intervened.
The Euthanasia Laws Act 1997, led by federal Liberal MP Kevin Andrews, overturned legislation – revoking the ACT and NT’s ability to make VAD laws for the next 25 years.
Legal VAD did not come into effect again in Australia for more than 20 years – Victoria was first to do so in 2017, with NSW the most recent in 2023.
In December 2022, federal parliament passed the Restoring Territory Rights Act 2022, lifting the Howard-era 25-year ban and restoring the territories’ power to legislate on VAD.
The ACT was the first to reclaim this authority, passing its legislation and launching its VAD scheme in November 2025.
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Sue Shearer, president of the Council of the Ageing NT (COTA), welcomed the news, telling The Medical Republic she was present when the 1995 legislation was first proposed and later withdrawn.
She told TMR the peak body had been on an eight-year journey to have the bill passed and restore choice for Territorians with terminal illnesses that “don’t have an age or postcode”.
“[COTA] wrote to every House of Representatives and every senator, to ensure that this debate is not about their beliefs about VAD. It’s about Territorians being able to make that decision themselves,” COTA chief said.
“You can choose who you want to marry, where you live, who you vote for… but you didn’t have the choice in the NT about how you’d like to say goodbye,” she said.
Ms Shearer said COTA would be in the gallery tomorrow to hear the bill’s introduction.
For further information about VAD and resources for GPs and practitioners caring for older Australians, visit the End of Life Law Toolkit.
