It’s time for all NT MLAs to listen to NT voices and vote yes on voluntary assisted dying

2 Jun 2026

Review campaign materials produced by COTA including the pledge card.

COTA NT is calling on NT Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to listen to Territorians lived experience, vote with their conscience, and hear the voices of the people they represent — not outside interests.

COTA NT is calling on Territorians — and the MLAs who represent them — to support voluntary assisted dying (VAD) ahead of an expected parliamentary vote. While no sitting date has been confirmed, NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said in January that a mid-year vote is anticipated, making the coming weeks critical for Territorians to make their views known.

A yes vote would be the first step toward safe, compassionate VAD laws for the Northern Territory. COTA NT is urging Territorians to contact their local MLA so their voice is heard.

Every Australian state has passed VAD laws, and the ACT did so in 2024. The Northern Territory now stands alone as the only Australian jurisdiction without this right — an inequity many Territorians feel deeply.

The Federal Parliament did its part in 2022. Now it is up to the NT Legislative Assembly to honour that commitment and take the first step.

“Older Territorians have waited for years as people across Australia gained the right to choose how they die when facing a terminal illness. A mid-year vote would be the first real step toward legislation that is safe, considered and right for the Territory.” said Sue Shearer, CEO of COTA NT.

“We are asking MLAs to vote yes — to stand with their constituents and take the first step toward giving Territorians the same dignity, autonomy and compassion available to every other Australian. Polls, consultations, surveys and reports have consistently shown strong majority support for VAD in the Northern Territory. Territorians need their elected representatives to reflect that consensus by voting yes. It is not radical. It is basic equality.

“I also urge every MLA to be open to discussions about dying — it is a part of living and people deserve the chance to shape that last chapter on their own terms. That is what VAD offers. That is what Territorians deserve. I know some MLAs have sat down with Territorians who have lived experience — people who have watched a loved one suffer without the choices available in every other state. There can be no more powerful guide on how to vote than the lived experience of the people you represent.

“We know that lobby groups with interstate and international backing — including some religious organisations and conservative political bodies — have launched well-funded interference against VAD legislation for the NT, much as Peter Warren warned in his community presentation in April. I ask every MLA to be aware of this interference and to be transparent about the representations they receive on this issue. Territorians deserve to know whose voices their representatives are listening to.

“And to any MLA who has had reservations about this issue: I say, it is okay to change your mind. Liberal Senator Jane Hume once opposed VAD. Then her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and accessed voluntary assisted dying in Victoria. Holding his hand as he died peacefully, in the manner and at the time he chose, changed her vote. She said she had ‘walked a mile in another man’s shoes’ — and that experience gave her a clarity no argument alone could provide. Minds can and do change when they are open to the truth of what this is really about.

“I am asking every MLA to listen to their community, weigh the evidence carefully and vote yes for VAD legislation — yes for the equal rights of all Territorians.

“The mid-year vote on voluntary assisted dying is a conscience vote and how each MLA votes will matter deeply to Territorians.”

COTA NT encourages every Territorian to contact their MLA in the weeks ahead. Share your story, your experience or simply your view. If the mid-year vote proceeds, your MLA needs to hear from you before that journey begins.

Media contact

Sue Shearer, Chief Executive Officer, Council on the Ageing NT (COTA NT)

Phone: 08 8941 1004 (Mon–Fri, 9am–3pm), Email:

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COTA NT (also known as Council on the Ageing Northern Territory) is the peak body for senior Territorians advocating for their health and wellbeing since 1969.

It’s time for all NT MLAs to listen to NT voices and vote yes on voluntary assisted dying

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