Voluntary assisted dying

A report into developing a framework for voluntary assisted dying in the Northern Territory has been released.

The report was developed by an independent expert advisory panel, co-chaired by the Hon Vicki O’Halloran AO CVO and Duncan McConnel SC.

The panel undertook a wide range of public consultation for voluntary assisted dying from August 2023 to May 2024.

During this period, the panel visited Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Alice Springs, Nhulunbuy, Jabiru, Tennant Creek and Wadeye.

Members heard from over 350 individual participants through public forums and meetings, met with around 60 organisations, received 98 written submissions and almost 1,400 survey responses.

The report details 22 recommendations which government will now consider, and if supported, will inform draft legislation for voluntary assisted dying in the Northern Territory.

Read the report into voluntary assisted dying in the Northern Territory PDF (4.0 MB).

Advisory panel terms of reference

Members of the independent expert advisory panel were guided by terms of reference throughout the consultation period.

Read the terms of reference PDF (938.4 KB).

Discussion guides

The following discussion guides provide more information about VAD:

• What is voluntary assisted dying and how you can have your say? PDF (257.2 KB)
• Who should have access to voluntary assisted dying? PDF (233.1 KB)
• What process should a person follow to access VAD PDF (249.7 KB)
• The role of health professionals and health services PDF (251.3 KB)
• Monitoring and compliance - How should we monitor voluntary assisted dying to make sure the process is safe and effective? PDF (249.9 KB)

Resources are available in different languages, as well as audio files for Aboriginal languages.

Comparative table of VAD legislation in Australia

This is a table comparing the VAD legislation passed by all Australian states. It provides an overview only.

VAD simplified comparator table DOCX (62.8 KB).