VAD to be debated in the August 2026 sittings

17 Aug 2026

Council on the Ageing Northern Territory (COTA NT), on behalf of older Territorians, welcomes the upcoming debate on the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill during the August 2026 sittings of the Northern Territory Parliament and looks forward to the passage of this vital legislation.

COTA NT has long supported the right of Territorians with a terminal illness to have choice and control over their end-of-life care. However, COTA NT members have raised concerns about two aspects of the proposed legislation that they believe unnecessarily limit choice. Of particular concern is the proposed gag clause, which would prevent health professionals from raising voluntary assisted dying (VAD) with an eligible patient, even when discussing treatment and end-of-life care options.

“Doctors routinely provide patients with a prognosis and discuss the range of treatment and care options available to them. While we fully respect the right of health professionals to conscientiously object to VAD, preventing a doctor from raising VAD as an option with an eligible patient is a significant limitation on informed decision-making,” said Sue Shearer, CEO of COTA NT.

“Information is not coercion and patients deserve to be properly informed so they can make decisions that reflect their own wishes and values. To legislate that a doctor cannot inform patient about all their choices appear tantamount to censorship.”

COTA NT is also concerned about the proposed requirement that a person must have a prognosis of 12 months or less to live to access VAD.
“Terminal illnesses do not always follow a predictable timeline. A legislated 12-month prognosis requirement risks excluding people who may be experiencing significant suffering, but whose illness does not fit neatly within an arbitrary timeframe,” Ms Shearer said.

“Territorians deserve legislation that recognises the complexity and individual nature of terminal illness rather than imposing a rigid timeline that may ultimately limit a person’s ability to make decisions about their own end-of-life care.”

COTA NT acknowledges that the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill represents a landmark opportunity for Territorians and recognises the significance of restoring VAD rights in the Northern Territory.

“While we welcome this important legislation, we want to see the best possible legislation for Territorians. That means legislation that protects vulnerable people while also respecting the rights, dignity, autonomy and choices of people at the end of life,” Ms Shearer said.

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Media contact:

Sue Shearer, CEO COTA NT 08 8941 1004