Residents in the ACT and NT will no longer be “second-class citizens” says Member for Canberra Alicia Payne as she plans to co-sponsor a private member’s bill to repeal the Howard-era Andrews bill when parliament resumes later this month.

Passed in 1997 by the Howard Government, the Andrews bill, originally championed by former Liberal minister Kevin Andrews, barred the territories from legalising voluntary assisted dying.

The federal ban followed the NT parliament’s move to become the first jurisdiction in the world to legalise voluntary assisted dying (also referred to as voluntary euthanasia) in 1995. The NT laws were in place for nine months before being overturned, during which time four people ended their own lives.

Since then, all six states have already legislated assisted dying laws.

Speaking in Canberra on Monday, Ms Payne said that “all Australians should have equal democratic rights, whether they live in Canberra or Queanbeyan”.

“That’s why I will introduce a private member’s bill, with my Northern Territory colleague Luke Gosling, to repeal the Andrews Bill as soon as possible when parliament resumes.

“The reality is the Andrews Bill makes residents of the ACT and NT second-class citizens, and I’m proud the Albanese Labor Government will enable the parliament to vote on restoring territory rights.

“My ACT and NT Labor colleagues are working hard to give ACT and NT citizens the power to make their own decisions,” she said.

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