Brown welcomes government support for Greens push to grant territories power

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today welcomed the Labor government's support for the Greens' bill remove the ability of federal ministers to override legislation in the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Norfolk Island.

The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Amendment (Disallowance and Amendment Power of the Commonwealth) Bill 2010 would ensure that only federal parliament can override territory legislation, via an act of parliament. However this excepts the issue of euthanasia, where a ban on territory legislation was imposed by the 1997 Andrews Bill, which passed both houses of parliament.

The power for the Commonwealth parliament to make laws for the Territories, found in section 122 of the Constitution, is endorsed by the Greens' bill.

"The bill will be put to the vote in the Senate on Thursday," Senator Brown said.

"This Bill should not be confused with the Restoring Territories Rights (Voluntary Euthanasia) Bill 2010 which was debated in October 2010. It does not repeal the Euthanasia Laws Act which repealed the Northern Territory's Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995," Senator Brown said.