The government is committed to sitting as long as it takes for legislation allowing territories to make their own laws on voluntary assisted dying, to pass the Senate.

It means fears the bill won’t be passed this year won’t be realised, despite a packed Senate agenda for the last sitting fortnight that includes the government’s industrial relations reforms and the national anti-corruption body.

Labor’s Senate leader Katy Gallagher made the promise on Monday morning, guaranteeing the upper house will vote on the bill before the fortnight is up.

“This is something I’ve been fighting for for 10 years. The House of Representatives dealt with the bill in a timely way. it was overwhelmingly supported there,” she told the ABC.

“We will sit until that bill is resolved.”

That will be welcome news for independent ACT senator David Pocock, who has been spearheading the push for territory rights to bring them into line with Australia’s states.

All states have legislated to allow voluntary assisted dying.

Senator Pocock has encouraged his parliamentary colleagues to view the legislation as one of restoring territory rights, rather than a direct vote on voluntary assisted dying.

The bill passed the lower house 99 votes to 37 in August.

By Alex Mitchell in Canberra