Andrew Denton, Founder of Go Gently Australia, will Address the National Press Club on “Voluntary Assisted Dying: From Revolution to Real Access”.
Ten years ago, Andrew stood at the NPC and promised to “light a fire so big no politician could ignore it”. That speech launched Go Gentle Australia and a national campaign for voluntary assisted dying laws.
A decade later, VAD laws have been passed in every state and territory. As Health Minister, Mark Butler, has observed, ‘change does not often happen this quickly’.
In this address, Andrew will reflect on this achievement — tantamount to a revolution – and what it’s meant, both for people across Australia, and for our health system. He will outline, too, the counter-revolution that VAD has faced: federal restrictions on telehealth, resistance within many parts of the health and aged care systems, and ongoing stigma, each of which has created barriers to VAD for terminally ill people, despite their eligibility. And he will look ahead to VAD in the next decade: What needs to change. And what changes, already happening, we need to be ready for.
Bio:
An award-winning writer, performer and producer, Andrew Denton is one of Australian media’s genuinely creative forces with a career covering radio, television, and film. Drawing from over 30 years of listening and storytelling experience, Andrew has successfully campaigned for compassionate laws around voluntary assisted dying (VAD) so people have choice at the end of life. A true advocate for dying Australians, Andrew established the national charity Go Gentle Australia in 2016 to support Australians with untreatable or terminal illnesses, as well as their families and carers.
