Efforts underway expedite the territory rights bill

Alicia Payne and Luke Gosling's private members' bill designed to end a 25-year-old ban on the ACT and Northern Territory debating voluntary assisted dying laws, entered the Senate on Monday, but only six of the 17 listed speakers got to speak to the bill before time addressing the bill ran out.

The bill is widely viewed as the best chance to repeal Kevin Andrews' private members' bill passed in 1997 to overturn the NT's 1995 world-first voluntary euthanasia regime, but little time is available on a busy parliamentary calendar to debate it.

Senator Pocock, who has already spoken on the bill and urged Senate colleagues to vote for repeal, has secured approval to hand over his personal "general business" this Thursday.

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Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, Labor senator Marielle Smith and Liberal senator Jane Hume are among those who are yet to contribute debate on the bill.

The hour and 10 minutes allotted on Thursday still won't be enough time to allow the remaining 11 speakers time to speak. It is understood negotiations with other parties and senators are underway over the Senate calendar.

Even if all debate is delivered over the bill, there are no assurances it will then come to an immediate vote.

There have been several unsuccessful attempts to restore territory rights, but now all other Australian states have voluntary assisted dying laws.

Notably, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supports the latest effort.