For many years, some of our NT federal parliamentarians have lobbied for the NT Government to have the right to pass laws on euthanasia.

I have made it clear, over a long time, that I do not support euthanasia but instead support well-funded palliative care backed up with high class medical – both physical and mental – staff who present best practice for those who are terminally ill.

But if we remove ourselves from the debate surrounding euthanasia, we need to look at what some of our federal politicians are trying to do.

They are trying to repeal a law that was passed by the federal parliament under the commonwealth’s Northern Territory (Self Government) Act (1978). The same act that allowed for the setting up of our Legislative Assembly. This allowed our Legislative Assembly to pass laws for the people of the NT but always with the possibility that any law passed could be rejected by the federal government.

Why? We are a Territory just like the ACT and therefore are ultimately controlled by the commonwealth.

So, the problem with the move to reverse the existing law is what does that do? Does it stop the federal government reversing its decision at another time?

What about other laws we pass, should they always be passed without the right of federal parliament to override those laws?

The ACT now wants to pass laws which would allow for the possession of small amounts of drugs such as cocaine, heroin and MDMA to be decriminalised.

This would be the only jurisdiction in Australia to allow this. Would our federal members support the overturning of that bill because they thought that it was bad law?

Or is their opposition to NT laws being overturned based on pressure from euthanasia supporters or their own personal support or do our federal members believe that the Commonwealth should never overturn the laws of the Territory? If so, what do they see as the difference between a state and a Territory?

If they understand there is a difference and they want the Territory to be allowed to pass laws without interference then they need to put their energies into statehood, not a de facto state set up just for one piece of legislation they are trying to repeal.

Finally, as someone who was in local government for some time, I always laugh at the NT politicians who decry the interference by the commonwealth government into Territory affairs but those same politicians have no hesitation in interfering in the third tier of government, local government.

So, what’s good for the goose is not always good for the gander.