MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The first place in the world to legalize voluntary euthanasia 31 years ago could this year become the last part of Australia to undergo the same legal reform as the Northern Territory government on Friday announced plans to introduce doctor-assisted dying legislation for a second time.
The Northern Territory's world-first laws, passed in 1995, were repealed by the Australian Parliament two years later and after four terminally ill patients were given legal aid.
Since then, all six Australian states have passed assisted dying laws, and the Australian Parliament has lifted the ban in two territories, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, by passing such laws themselves.
The Australian Capital Territory will introduce voluntary euthanasia laws in 2024, and Northern Territory Attorney-General Marie-Claire Boothby said on Friday lawmakers in her jurisdiction would consider legislation by mid-2026.
Lawmakers will be allowed to vote on the issue according to their conscience rather than toeing the party line.
“Legislation for the rights of the terminally ill is one of the most sensitive and difficult reforms any government can undertake,” Boothby said in a statement. “We take the time to get it right. We work carefully and deliberately, without rushing, and strive to get the balance right.”
In September 2025, a parliamentary committee recommended that the Northern Territory introduce a physician-assisted suicide law and also recommended that an education campaign be launched to raise awareness and counter misinformation, particularly in remote and Indigenous communities.
Boothby said the bill is being worked on.
“We will not shy away from the tough questions and are committed to moving forward with these reforms carefully, thoughtfully and responsibly,” Boothby said.
The Northern Territory has several unique features and challenges among Australian states and territories.
The territory has the smallest population of Australia's eight jurisdictions, with 260,000 people spread across an area almost the size of France. Australia's current population is 28 million.
Although Indigenous people made up 3.8% of Australia's 25 million population at the latest census in 2021, they make up more than a quarter of the Northern Territory's population.
Indigenous peoples' views on voluntary euthanasia vary. Some indigenous people are suspicious of the medical system and fear they could be killed against their will. Others advocate equal access to assisted dying with strong cultural safeguards. There are also conflicting cultural beliefs about death.
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Speaker Robyn Lambley said providing adequate education about assisted dying legislation for Indigenous people, many of whom do not speak English as a first language, was “probably unrealistic”.
“I don’t think we’re ready,” Lambley said in an online post. “We may never be ready in the territory. Aboriginal people are reluctant to seek medical services, even to have children.”
“It would be a disaster. I don't think it will work. We just have to go at our own pace,” she added.
