The Northern Territory passed the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill on 27 August 2026. Terminally-ill Territorians will have access to VAD from 2028, after an 18-month implementation period. 

The legislation became possible after the Commonwealth lifted the ban on territories making laws about assisted dying in December 2022 with the passing of the Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022.

About the bill

The NT was the first in the world to have a VAD law in 1995, before it was overturned by the federal parliament. 

It is now the last jurisdiction in Australia to pass VAD legislation, bringing the Territory in line with the rest of the country in making VAD a legal end-of-life choice. 

As Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said, "This is a defining moment for the Territory….” 

But the bill is not perfect – it contains a ‘gag clause’ which means a doctor cannot initiate a conversation about VAD, and a 12-month-to-death prognosis timeframe. If you think you may be eligible for VAD once the law is implemented, you must raise the topic of voluntary assisted dying with the doctor yourself.

Read this explainer from the QUT's end-of-life law team