Shayne Higson was a photographic artist who usually expressed her opinions through her visual art. However, following the death of her mother from brain cancer in 2012, she became a passionate and vocal supporter of dying with dignity law reform. In the 2013 Federal election Shayne ran as the lead NSW Senate candidate for the newly formed Voluntary Euthanasia Party (VEP). She was the driving force behind the formation of the NSW branch of the VEP in 2014 and ran as their lead candidate in the 2015 and 2019 NSW elections. Shayne also ran for the Senate in the 2016 Federal election and as a candidate in the Wentworth by-election in 2018.
Shayne joined Andrew Denton’s lobbying organisation Go Gentle Australia to help with the 2016 South Australian campaign. In 2017 Shayne left Go Gentle Australia to focus all her energy on the NSW campaign in support of the NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill.
Life Member of Dying with Dignity NSW.
Board Member from 3 August 2016.
Vice-President from 27 May 2017.
CEO from 1 July 2022.