In early September 2024 candidates who had registered for the October ACT election were asked to complete a survey about Voluntary Assisted Dying.
The Full Report on the Candidate Survey is available here.
Individual statements from several candidates are available here.
A Form Guide for Voters, based on survey responses, appears below and is also available as a PDF file here.
Form Guide for Voters
The ACT Greens
The Greens were the party keenest to tell voters what they thought.
All Greens candidates answered the questionnaire and supported the two proposals put forward by Canberrans for a Good Death.
- widening eligibility for VAD to allow access for persons who meet all the eligibility requirements in the current VAD Act except for ‘approaching the end of their life’. (Question 2 in the survey);
- providing for a binding Advance Directive, to allow persons to make clear their views on accessing VAD, and the circumstances in which they would want to access it, should they lose decision-making capacity. (Question 3).
The Greens also supported implementing these in the next term of the Legislative Assembly.
They have a good track record of voting for access to humane voluntary assisted dying: all their members of the Legislative Assembly voted for the VAD Bill and the Paterson Motion (which provides for a report to the Assembly, by May 2025, on ‘models to address where an individual has lost capacity following the final assessment report’ which ‘may include Enduring Power of Attorney or Advanced Care Directives’. (See Appendix 2).
The Independents for Canberra
If you like a punt, the Independents for Canberra, should be considered.
They strongly support the two Canberrans for a Good Death proposals and 9 out of 10 candidates support action in the next term of the Assembly.
If you are frustrated with the major parties, as support for community independents and the TEALs outside the ACT suggests is common, then the Independents for Canberra are worth a look. Talk to their candidates.
Strong Independents
There are only two candidates for this party – both are standing in the Kurrajong electorate,
Worth a look – due diligence advised. Talk to them before you vote.
ACT Labor
Only 3 ACT Labor candidates responded to the survey. The Secretary of the party provided a position statement which commits the party to examine the Paterson Motion in May 2025. It did not commit to action in the next term if that review proposes action.
The statement did not commit to any significant change to the existing VAD Act until the 2029 review.
ACT Labor has a good track record. It advocated for VAD since the 1990s. In the June voting on the VAD Bill and the Paterson Motion, all their members (except one who did not vote) voted in favour of both initiatives.
So, if you are a traditional Labor voter, and to want a more humane VAD Act, talk to the candidates in your electorate, tell them what you want and choose accordingly.
The Canberra Liberals
Except for one member who put in a statement on VAD, the Liberal Party ignored this survey.
The nearest indication to a party position was an email, before the survey, from the office of the leader of the Canberra Liberals saying that VAD is a ‘conscience vote’ issue. A later offer from the Survey Coordinator to include a party statement on VAD was not accepted.
The one respondent from the ACT Liberals said that she supported VAD and would support the processes of the Legislative Assembly in considering the Paterson Motion and the 2029 review.
The track record of the Liberal Party with respect to VAD is well known, and not encouraging if you want a more humane VAD Act.
The Liberal Commonwealth Government passed a law in 1997 that banned the North en Territory and Australian Capital Territory, from legislating euthanasia.
The former Liberal Senator from the ACT voted against several attempts to restore ACT rights.
The majority of Liberal members of the Legislative Assembly voted against the 2024 VAD Bill. Ms Lee, leader of the Liberal Party was one of the four Canberra Liberals who voted for the Bill.
All the Canberra Liberals, except two, voted against the Paterson Motion (One member did not vote on that motion). The one Canberra Liberal member who voted for the Paterson Motion is not standing at this election.
Anyone intending to vote for the Canberra Liberals, but who wants a more humane VAD law, has a problem. Talk to your candidates, advocate for your views. Make your choice.
Authorised by Roy Harvey on behalf of Canberrans for a Good Death
