The Northern Territory has just voted to legalise voluntary assisted dying. Here’s how it will work
Many aspects of the new voluntary assisted dying laws are familiar. But there are some differences to address the territory’s unique needs.
Voluntary assisted dying will soon become legal in the Northern Territory, as its parliament approved new legislation by a conscience vote. This makes the NT the last Australian jurisdiction to legalize the practice. The legislation will become available to residents in early 2028. The high proportion of Indigenous people and the rural and remote population in the Northern Territory may impact the implementation of the law.
The territory had the first voluntary assisted dying laws in Australia, but the federal government banned territories from making laws on this topic in 1997. After a federal ban was lifted in 2022, the NT could pass the legislation again. Eligibility criteria for voluntary assisted dying in the NT are the same as other parts of Australia, requiring a person to be over 18 years old, have the capacity to make decisions, and be suffering intolerably from a terminal medical condition with a life expectancy of less than 12 months.
Two independent doctors with training in voluntary assisted dying must assess eligibility, and a review board oversees each case. Health professionals can conscientiously object to participating in the process. The NT differs from other jurisdictions in allowing family members or a person with cultural authority to be involved in the decision if the patient requests it, and in allowing an approved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner to administer the medication.
The NT also has an 18-month implementation period to develop structures and supports for safe practice.
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