Alicia Payne and Luke Gosling's territory euthanasia rights debate to start in Senate

The Canberra Times can reveal Alicia Payne and Luke Gosling's private members' bill to overturn the Andrews ban has been listed for debate in the upper house when the Federal Parliament returns on Monday.

It marks the next step forward after the bill comfortably passed the lower house 99 votes to 37 in early August.

The debate on Monday will only run for an hour and a final vote is not expected in the coming sitting fortnight.

"It's really tight in the Senate," the Manager of Government Business in the Senate and ACT senator Katy Gallagher said.

"I think it's the best shot we've had. Mind you, we lost it last time by two votes, again, it's always hard with these things."

"It'll only kick off the debate. The challenge for territory rights is how do we find time to facilitate the debate over the next few sitting weeks?"

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Intense lobbying is underway behind the scenes, with proponents of the bill arguing the territories are mature enough to debate matters of conscience and the voluntary assisted dying ban is now inconsistent with every other state in Australia.

"I sort of never get ahead of myself on anything anymore. I feel very optimistic," Senator Gallagher said.

"And I appreciate the fact that the Prime Minister has allowed this to happen, because really, I know there's all this talk about how independents made it happen. It happened because Albo said he would facilitate a bill through the House. The Senate could have passed as many bills as it would have liked, it wouldn't have mattered."

The Canberra Times can reveal former Coalition defence minister Linda Reynolds will support the Payne-Gosling bill, reversing the position she took on David Leyonhjelm's 2018 attempt to restore territory rights.

That bill was defeated by two votes.

Senator Reynolds becomes the fourth Coalition senator to confirm their support for ending the ban, after declarations from Liberals Simon Birmingham and Andrew Bragg and Nationals deputy leader Perin Davey.

The final vote could hinge on the number of yes votes from Coalition senators, given a number of Labor senators expected to vote against the bill because of personal objections to voluntary assisted dying.

"Well, it certainly helps for those that opposed it last time [such as Reynolds] if they are agreeing," Senator Gallagher said.

"And I think that's part of the argument is that previously when it was put we weren't in the world where we are now where every state now has the ability.

"Every state has it now. And I think that might for some people who aren't in the 'hard no' camp that might change their mind. I hope so."

The Canberra Times has been calling for a repeal of the Andrews bill as part of its Our Right to Decide campaign.

All states have passed assisted dying laws since Victoria become the first in 2017.

However, the ACT and NT have been prevented from joining them due to the so-called Andrews Bill, passed in 1997, to overturn territory laws in response to the NT's 1995 world-first voluntary euthanasia regime.

Four people died under the NT regime before it was quashed in 1997.

The private members' bill, which has the support of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is a relatively simple legislation designed to repeal the 1997 bill.