Time to fix palliative care

Editor's note

Last week, the Victorian Legislative Assembly passed a historic bill to legalise assisted dying for those with a terminal illness. The bill is due to be debated in the upper house next week. As important as the outcome is, if legalised, assisted dying will still only be one available option for those nearing the end of their life. A person with a terminal illness will primarily need quality, accessible care, delivered by end-of-life care professionals.

Although palliative care is vital to ensuring pain control and quality of life, Stephen Duckett writes that Australia still doesn’t provide adequate palliative care services to all Australians. And considering the number of dying Australians is increasing only slightly, prioritising funding for end-of-life services is unlikely to blow out the budget.

Sasha Petrova

Deputy Editor, Health + Medicine

Top story

While assisted dying is contentious, access to palliative care should not be. Rustle/Shutterstock

Assisted dying is one thing, but governments must ensure palliative care is available to all who need it

Stephen Duckett, Grattan Institute

One would think governments would do all they could to ensure palliative care is available to all who need it. This is not the case in Australia today.

Environment + Energy
Energy prices are high because consumers are paying for useless, profit-boosting infrastructure Bruce Mountain, Victoria University Where do sky-high energy costs come from? Energy companies who build unnecessary infrastructure, passing on the cost to consumers and making a profit.

Education
Telling Chinese students to conform won't fix cross-cultural issues Dan Caprar, University of Sydney Framing freedom of speech and cultural sensitivity as competing goals makes us miss opportunities to develop cross-cultural competency.

Science + Technology

Fingerprinting to solve crimes: not as robust as you think

Jamie Walvisch, Monash University

Fingerprinting is a valuable police tool for tracking down suspects, but it's not perfect. However, we can reduce the risk of any mistaken identity if we work within the limits of fingerprinting.
Don't fear robo-justice. Algorithms could help more people access legal advice

John Zeleznikow, Victoria University

Automated tools could help encourage access to justice in areas such as divorce, owners corporation disputes and small value contracts.

Business + Economy
How to teach your kids to think more critically about money Carly Sawatzki, Monash University Good financial decision making is about more than avoiding debt or having a budget, it's about critically analysing your options.

Politics + Society

Connecting 'diblings': how the law is failing to keep up with modern families

Paula Gerber, Monash University

It is time for the states and territories to develop a uniform legal framework that enables donor-conceived people to connect with their genetic kin.
Senate crossbenchers take the first steps on lobbying reform – now to ensure it succeeds

George Rennie, University of Melbourne

Giving Australia's lobbying laws teeth, and a sizeable regulatory jaw to occasionally brandish them, is a major step in the right direction.

Arts + Culture

Guide to the Classics: Virgil’s Aeneid

Chris Mackie, La Trobe University

Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid documents the founding of Rome by a Trojan hero. As with other ancient epics, our hero has to remain resolute in the face of significant divine hostility.
We Love Arabs: accomplished satire offers food (and hummus) for thought

Asher Warren, University of Melbourne

We Love Arabs is a complex satire that blends dance, theatre and hummus to investigate the politics of Israeli Jews and Arabs.

Cities
We are living alone together in today's cities – and that calls for smart and 'bolshie' moves Jaz Hee-jeong Choi, Queensland University of Technology Living and dying alone presents many challenges for cities, and we'll need more than technology to meet these. Only an inclusive, innovative response can deliver the essential element of human care.

Health + Medicine
Health Check: do boys really have a testosterone spurt at age four? Kate Steinbeck, University of Sydney Some parents think their four-year-old boy's emotional outbursts and aggressive behaviour can be blamed on their hormones. Here's why that's a myth.