I must admit to being nervous as the Senate debated territory rights last week.

We had been quietly confident that this time it would pass, especially after the Senate voted 41-25 in favour of restoring our rights on the second reading of the private members bill moved by Luke Gosling and me the week before. But sitting in the Senate chamber and listening to Senators debate Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s attempt to amend the bill, all that was at stake weighed heavily on me.

There had been many failed attempts in the 25 years since the Andrews bill repealed legislation that made the NT the first jurisdiction in Australia to permit voluntary assisted dying. The bill had the effect of stripping the territories of democratic rights to legislate on the issue, making us second class citizens. The battle to restore territory rights has waged ever since – with failed attempts by Senator Bob Brown, my colleague Andrew Leigh MP, and a 2018 bid that was defeated in the Senate by just two votes.

However, this time was different. For one, the composition of the Senate and the “no” camp had changed dramatically since 2018. ACT Senator Zed Seselja, who opposed the bill in 2018, had been replaced by territory rights supporter, Senator David Pocock. Senator Jane Hume, who also voted no in 2018, delivered a powerful and moving speech in the Senate in support, and I thank her for sharing her personal journey.

Secondly, the political landscape around voluntary assisted dying laws has shifted.

In 1995, the NT laws were not only an Australian first but were world leading. One of the justifications for the discriminatory Andrews law had been to stop the territories from getting too far ahead of the rest of the country. But every state has now voted to introduce voluntary assisted dying laws, meaning the territories were being left behind – held back by the Andrews law.

Sitting in the Senate chamber last Thursday listening to powerful speeches in support from across political lines, it felt like the weight of history was on our side. In the end, Senator Price’s amendments, which would have continued to restrict the territories’ ability to legislate, were defeated.

In the afternoon before the debate began, my ACT and NT Labor colleagues, Senator Pocock, and I met with advocates who have led the way on this issue, including former NT Chief Minister Marshall Perron – who passed the original laws in 1995 that the Andrews bill sought to block. It was humbling to join with advocates suffering from terminal illnesses themselves or who had lost loved ones, who, with incredible strength, are using their experiences to push for a better future for others.

Territory rights champions, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and ACT Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne were there. I particularly want to acknowledge Tara who has fought tirelessly to keep this injustice front of mind, my friend who I have talked with about this over many years. I think my colleague Senator Katy Gallagher, who has fought for our rights for over a decade and skilfully steered this bill through the Senate, said it best: “… it is the reason I am in politics. When you see something that isn’t fair, you change it.”

I want to again thank everyone who has kept up the fight for 25 years and all involved in this most recent push, those who spoke and voted to support our rights. It’s been an honour to stand with you and I’m proud to have played my part in righting this wrong.

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