2013‑2014‑2015
The Parliament of the
Commonwealth of Australia
THE SENATE
Presented and read a first time
Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill 2015
No. , 2015
(Senator Leyonhjelm)
A Bill for an Act to amend certain Acts relating to the territories, and for other purposes
Contents
1............ Short title............................................................................................. 1
2............ Commencement................................................................................... 1
3............ Objects................................................................................................ 2
4............ Schedules............................................................................................ 2
Schedule 1—Amendments 3
Part 1—Amendments 3
Australian Capital Territory (Self‑Government) Act 1988 3
Northern Territory (Self‑Government) Act 1978 3
Part 2—Repeal of the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 4
Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 4
Part 3—Application 5
A Bill for an Act to amend certain Acts relating to the territories, and for other purposes
The Parliament of Australia enacts:
1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Act 2015.
2 Commencement
Commencement information |
Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
Provisions | Commencement | Date/Details |
1. Sections 1 to 4 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table | The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. | |
2. Schedule 1 | The 28th day after this Act receives the Royal Assent. | |
Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.
(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.
3 Objects
The objects of this Act are:
(a) to reduce Commonwealth interference with the laws of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory; and
(b) to facilitate competitive federalism in law‑making; and
(c) to recognise the right of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory to legislate for assisted suicide within their jurisdictions; and
(d) to repeal the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 the enactment of which was inimical to the objects stated in paragraphs (a) to (c).
4 Schedules
Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.
Schedule 1—Amendments
Part 1—Amendments
Australian Capital Territory (Self‑Government) Act 1988
1 Subsections 23(1A) and (1B)
Repeal the subsections.
Northern Territory (Self‑Government) Act 1978
2 Section 50A
Repeal the section.
Part 2—Repeal of the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997
Euthanasia Laws Act 1997
3 The whole of the Act
Repeal the Act.
Part 3—Application
4 Application
(1) Despite the amendments made by this Schedule, the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of the Northern Territory:
(a) continues to have effect as a law of the Territory in relation to any act or thing that was done before 27 March 1997; but
(b) has no force or effect as a law of the Territory in relation to any act or thing done on or after that day.
(2) Subitem (1) applies subject to a contrary intention in a law of the Northern Territory that is enacted after the commencement of this item.