A vote to repeal the 25-year-old ban on the ACT and Northern Territory making their own assisted dying laws will be held this year, as the government declares it wants the territory rights debate settled once and for all.
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Leader of the Government in the Senate Penny Wong said it was Labor's "clear position" that the territory rights bill be put to a final vote before parliament rises on December 1.
ACT senator David Pocock said the commitment was a "huge relief" after he had feared support for the bill could slip away if a vote was delayed until next year.
Senator Wong made the comments as she confirmed the government would allow another hour of debate on Alicia Payne and Luke Gosling's private members' bill on Wednesday morning.
The 60-minute slot could be enough to finish the debate, meaning that, in the absence of any unexpected amendments, all that's left is a vote to overturn the so-called Andrews bill.
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With the Albanese government juggling a packed legislative program, there was some concern that territory rights could be put on the backburner, and debate allowed to drag on into next year.
But Senator Wong dispelled those concerns on Tuesday, as she acknowledged territory rights was an important issue - in particular for territory senators.
She singled out fellow Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher, who has been pushing to overturn the Andrews bill since her time as ACT chief minister.
Senator Wong did put one caveat around the timing, signaling that the government wouldn't seek to limit - or "guillotine" - the length of the debate, which is standard practice on conscience votes.
However, that might not prove to be a problem as the prospects of a marathon debate dwindle.
"It is the government's clear position that we want this bill resolved once and [for] all before the end of the year, noting that we have taken the view previously that conscience votes should not be the subject of guillotines," she said.
"It has been an issue that this Senate and previous senates have considered at length and we want to ensure that this issue is voted on this year."
After this week, the Senate is scheduled to sit for 12 more days this year.
The government agreed to carve out time for the territory rights debate on Wednesday morning, under a deal which followed talks between Senator Gallagher and Senator Pocock.
Senator Pocock agreed to support the government's wish to sit late on Tuesday to pass its bill to abolish the cashless debit card, and has also delayed his attempt to quash Labor's plans to water down disclosure rules for superannuation funds.
The former Wallabies captain had originally wanted the Senate to stay back on Tuesday night to debate the territory rights bill, amid concerns that delaying the bill could risk its prospects of success.
Senator Pocock welcomed Labor's commitment.
"It is a huge relief to see the government today make a commitment to dealing with the [bill] this year," he told The Canberra Times.
"I am confident we finally have the numbers to see this pass and right a decades-old injustice.
"We can't risk support slipping away over the summer break and I thank Senator Wong for making this promise in the senate today."
The Canberra Times has been calling for a repeal of the Andrews bill as part of its Our Right to Decide campaign.
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Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
