Voluntary Euthanasia Party

History

The party was founded in 2013 in order to bring attention to the need for voluntary assisted dying law reform and to bring together advocates from the Dying with Dignity and Exit International movements. The immediate goal of the VEP was to make voluntary euthanasia a central issue at the September 2013 Federal election, and it nominated six candidates for the Senate (two each in New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia); and a candidate for the House of Representatives seat of Solomon in the Northern Territory. Three of the candidates were terminally ill.

Executive Committee

Professor Ranjan Ray, former President of the Western Australia Voluntary Euthanasia Society, was the first convenor of the Party, and was succeeded by Kerry Bromson in 2014. Philip Nitschke, the founder of Exit International, is the Deputy Convenor, and has been since the party's launch in 2013.

Definitions

There is no universally agreed definition of “voluntary euthanasia”. Terms like dying with dignity, physician-assisted dying, physician-assisted suicide and voluntary assisted dying are also used. The VEP regards voluntary euthanasia as involving a request by a terminally or incurably ill person for medical assistance to end his or her life painlessly and peacefully. A doctor may administer the medication or prescribe medication that the patient self-administers.

Upcoming NSW State Campaign, 2015

In New South Wales, the VEP will be standing candidates for the Legislative Council in the state election on 28 March 2015. The lead candidate for the VEP in the New South Wales state election, 2015 is Shayne Higson. Mrs Higson began advocating for voluntary assisted dying legislation after her mother died from a brain tumour in 2012.

Victorian State Campaign, 2014

The VEP fielded candidates in five Legislative Council (upper house) regions at the Victorian state election on 29 November 2014. The lead candidate for the VEP in Victoria was Dr Fiona Stewart, public health sociologist and co-author of four books about end of life issues including The Peaceful Pill Handbook. The VEP received 16,769 first preference votes (0.5 per cent of formal upper house votes) and did not win a seat.

Federal campaign, 2013

The party nominated several candidates at the 2013 Australian federal election: six candidates for the Senate (two each in New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia); and a candidate for the House of Representatives seat of Solomon in the Northern Territory. Three of the candidates were terminally ill.

2016 federal election

In the 2016 federal election the Voluntary Euthanasia Party fielded two senate candidates in each of New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, and one candidate in Victoria for the House of Representatives seat of Menzies.

Members

The VEP has over 3500 members (current as of February 2015), many of whom are also members of their state dying with dignity branch, voluntary euthanasia organisation and/or Exit International.