Conservative Christian groups lobby federal MPs against territories’ assisted dying rights legislation

Conservative action groups are mobilising supporters against a government push to allow territories to make their own laws on euthanasia, raising concerns around potential impacts on Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory.

The Australian Christian Lobby is flooding federal MPs with emails in a campaign to block a private member's bill to be introduced next week, but territories minister Kristy McBain says she's confident it will pass parliament.

"At a time where there are the highest rates of domestic violence especially in Indigenous communities, it is completely inappropriate for the new government to prioritise a controversial bill such as this," an ACL spokesperson said.

The Labor government confirmed this week it would shortly introduce a bill to overturn the 1997 ban on territories making their own assisted dying laws, enacted by the Howard government to overturn the NT's 1995 legislation.

Luke Gosling, MP for the NT electorate of Solomon, will introduce the bill on Monday. It will be seconded by Alicia Payne, the Member for the ACT electorate of Canberra. Labor will give members a conscience vote on the issue, and it is expected to easily pass the lower house.

The last time the issue was voted on in the Senate in 2018, the bill was defeated 36-34 with most Coalition members voting no and most Labor members voting yes. Many new senators who have joined the parliament since then have indicated they will vote in favour of the change.

McBain noted on Wednesday that every state in Australia had legislated its own euthanasia scheme.

"The debate has well and truly moved forward over the last 20 to 25 years. I would anticipate, given the positions that a number of members and senators took to the last election, that we would be in a position to see that bill pass," she told the ABC.

The ACL is opposing the changes, commencing a campaign under the heading "protect Indigenous lives". The Christian Lobby claims that expanding euthanasia access in the NT may discourage Indigenous people from accessing healthcare services.

"Many Indigenous people hold grave concerns about voluntary assisted dying, finding it frightening and at odds with their culture," the ACL spokesperson said.

"There are many cultural insensitivities and unaddressed fears being ignored by the party who say they want to hear the voice of our First Nations people. In Indigenous communities, many people believe euthanasia is abhorrent, frightening and at odds with the way they culturally deal with dying."

Guardian Australia has contacted Dodson for comment. A spokesperson said last week the senator was still considering his position on the bill.

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the peak body on Indigenous health, has also been contacted for comment.

Associate professor Robert Parker, president of the Australian Medical Association's NT branch, said any euthanasia change must be accompanied by education and cultural programs.

"The key issue is it has to be very carefully enacted, because of all the cultural and language issues, around the meaning of euthanasia and so people don't feel pressured," he said.

"Our real concern is [Indigenous people] might misinterpret it, and fear they go to hospital and be killed. That's a very important issue, it could be very easy to misinterpret without clear education."

Vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Bruce Willett, declined to comment specifically on the Indigenous health concerns but called for respect and compassion around the issue.

"[If] assisted dying becomes a legal option in the territories, some patients will request it, and such a request requires a respectful and compassionate response," he said.

Labor MP Marion Scrymgour this week called for a "comprehensive and in-depth education campaign" on the issue, warning people in rural NT "don't trust the system and they are scared of what this means".

NT Country Liberal party senator Jacinta Price, the former deputy mayor of Alice Springs, on Wednesday sounded a similar warning.

"There's a huge responsibility that comes with [voluntary assisted dying]. It appears as though the Labor government is more concerned with destroying and ending lives than saving lives. That is a huge concern."

Nationals senator Susan McDonald said she hadn't seen the legislation yet, but she shares Price's concerns. "Anything that undermines vulnerable Australians is something that I can't support," she said.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan said he does not support euthanasia, and would vote against the bill.

The ACL is lobbying MPs from the two territories, as well as calling on supporters to voice their concerns through an email campaign. The group claimed nearly 1,500 emails had been sent in recent days.

FamilyVoice, another Christian lobby group, is also calling on parliament to vote down the legislation. The organisation opposes the expansion of euthanasia access, claiming it "makes a mockery of trying to prevent suicide".