Dear Editor,

The Northern Territory is now the only state or territory in Australia that has not passed laws for euthanasia.

My mum, Elizabeth Anne Holmes, broke her back when she was 53, she battled breast cancer for 12 years, and had two hip replacements, one that dislocated itself early in 2007. She had a terrific career; she worked in a bank, she raised money in the Miss Australia Quest, worked as a model, worked in retail, worked as a divisional secretary for a prominent insurance company, and also worked as a volunteer Lifeline counsellor for 18 years.

And most importantly, Mum was a devoted and dedicated wife and mother.

Mum kept an extremely detailed diary which explains in detail the decisions she was faced with before she took her own life on September 22, 2016.She was 77-years old when she died.

Her diary was tabled in the NT Parliament on November 23, 2016. My Mum was a strong believer in euthanasia and would have definitely accessed it if it was available. She lived in NSW which was one of the six Australian states and territories that did not allow assisted dying at the time.

The day Mum died, a letter was found on her dining table.

“To everyone I love, especially Wayne, Sharon and Wendy. I was so looking forward to my life after my two hip surgeries. I have not been able to walk or drive for years… for the first time after the second operation and I knew my life was ruined. My dream of training into Melbourne to visit my son and grand-kids, and also to Adelaide to catch the The Ghan to see Shaz and Spud out of Darwin, and my first trip to Wen and Dave’s home and my grand-dogs. Now I cannot even walk Katie! [Katie was her dog],” she wrote.

“I thought ‘okay, if I cannot walk, I will swim and I cannot do that as well’. My grade four breast cancer has progressed and has broken through the skin, and will infect people and become infected myself. I have had 24-years of pain. I am not going to burden my children and friends and have palliative care. What a farce that is! Because there is no option in New South Wales, I choose euthanasia. At least I could still drive but I am not capable of doing that. Never had an accident in 60 years. I have lost my confidence in driving. I have no independence. My licence has been cancelled. I have to pay to keep my garden, house and dog plus maintenance. I watch TV, I read, I do crosswords. I have become a hermit, with a dog called Katie, my saviour. I have nothing to look forward to but pain and indignity. We all should be able to choose when we die, so with great courage and no cowardice I go to God. An act of love. Please cremate Katie so she can be with me. Love, Mum.”

Over the past 7.5 years I have written to all the NT chief ministers, all senators in Australia, all politicians across Australia, the Governor-General and the Queen of England, and have asked the federal government on numerous occasions for the Northern Territory to have back the right to make the decision for ourselves.

Former chief minister Michael Gunner stated in his letter to me on April 26, 2018, that the NT Parliament is: “ensuring that we all have control over our lives, that we are masters of our own destiny. That is an essential guiding value of this government.”

ABC Darwin shared a story about my Mum, which I encourage you to read.

I hope that no one has to ever endure the situations and choices my Mum had to make on September 22, 2016.

As an Australian citizen, all Australians should have the same rights, no matter where you live, whether it be in a state or a territory. Everyone is every state in Australia now have the right to use voluntary assisted dying, and people in the ACT will have that right on November 3, 2025. But not Territorians.

I look forward to reading the Expert Advisory Panel’s report on voluntary assisted dying which is due by July 2024.

Sharon Cramp-Oliver, Darwin

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