The Federal Parliament has a stake in all the Federal Territories; the Constitution makes that clear. That stake stems from the fact that they are usually underdeveloped and do not have the wherewithal to functions as full states. The Federal Parliament has from time to time grated self-government in varying degrees to the Territories, holding back some state-type functions and giving other functions to elected bodies. To date those arrangements have always been couched in traditional constitutional terms giving heads of power to the territory and retaining heads of power for the Commonwealth.
Having devolved some power, the Federal Parliament must retain a hand in ensuring the constiutional integrity of the territories is not undermined through abuse of the electoral system or other power weilded by the territory elected bodies of executives.
In the case of the Australian Capital Territory, the federal role also will always include an element of guardianship and trustee of the national-capital elements of the city in the name of the whole Australian people.
This week a private members Bill is to be introduced into the Federal Parliament prohibiting voluntary euthanasia in the territories. Federal MPs should reject it, irrespective of their view of euthanasia. Having granted general heads of power to territory assemblies, the federal parliament should not interfere on an issue-by-issue basis. The place for this issue to be fought is in the territory assemblies and the territory communities. The strict power to interfere is there, but for the federal power to exercise it flies in the face of a century of constitutional theory and development.
Equally, the federal MPs should not vote for a Bill to (ital) allow end (ital) euthanasia in those territories where it has passed the general head of power to an elected body.