Our Right To Decide: Support builds for ACT's right to make euthanasia laws

An even higher proportion want assisted dying laws passed in the ACT, even though the Legislative Assembly doesn't have the power to do so.

A poll commissioned by progressive think tank The Australia Institute has confirmed overwhelming support among Canberrans for restoring territory rights and legalising assisted dying.

The Canberra Times has been campaigning for a repeal of the federal laws which prevent the ACT and NT from legislating on assisted dying, but this publication does not have a position on whether it should ultimately be approved in the nation's capital.

More than 70 per cent of 1057 respondents to the uComms survey agreed that the ACT and NT parliaments should have the power to make their own laws on the contentious subject.

That was slightly higher than the level of nationwide support, as it was gauged in a separate Australia Institute-commissioned poll in August.

Greens voters (89 per cent support), were the strongest advocates, followed by Labor (73) and Liberal (50). One Nation voters were the only cohort with majority opposition.

The degree of support among Liberal voters is noteworthy, given their local senator Zed Seselja is vehemently opposed to a repeal of the so-called Andrews bill.

He is the only one of the ACT's 30 territory and federal parliamentarians who holds that view.

The poll, which uComms conducted via telephone in early August, found an ever greater level of support for the passage of assisted dying laws in the ACT.

MORE OUR RIGHT TO DECIDE CAMPAIGN

More than 78 per cent of respondents supported voluntary euthanasia in the ACT, including almost 55 per cent who strongly backed it.

The poll results came as Queensland this week became the fifth Australian state to pass assisted dying legislation.

Australia Institute executive director Ben Oquist said the survey results showed momentum was building in the campaign to restore the ACT's right to decide.

"Canberra is a modern, dynamic, cosmopolitan capital, and it increasing looks archaic for that jurisdictions not to have its rights," he said.

"Associated with that is an increasing community view ... that voluntary assisted dying is a right as a human being.

"I think those two issues are coming together now. It's 2021, not the 1960s."

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