Afternoon Tea in support of National Palliative Care Week 2025

President, Palliative Care Queensland, Associate Professor Anthony Herbert; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here today.

Graeme and I welcome you all to Government House this afternoon ahead of this year’s National Palliative Care Week.

As Governor and Patron of Palliative Care Queensland, I am proud to support an organisation that works so hard to further the accessibility and quality of palliative care in our state.

I’m also thankful to have the opportunity to pay tribute to the incredible efforts of the many professionals here today, who do so much to ease the suffering of those Queenslanders entering their final stages of life.

This year’s theme, ‘What’s your plan?’, invites reflection on a topic many of us instinctively avoid: our own mortality. At the same time, it opens the door to meaningful conversations about the profound benefits of palliative care.

Life-limiting or terminal illnesses can strike any of us, at any age, and of course, ageing itself incorporates a different set of challenges that require specific and specialised responses. Yet, in our state and country, there are still many people who die without the sort of care that alleviates discomfort, provides emotional help, and most significantly, ensures that they can live as fully as possible, in the time they have left.

Quite simply, everyone has the right to live and die without pain, and with dignity, whether this be at home, in hospital, in a hospice or in an aged care facility.

And, of course, there is also the need to assist loved ones and carers—the people left behind who will need to face death and grief in their own unique ways.

Removing the taboos and mysteries around the process of dying empowers everyone involved. It helps to provide reassurance, which is so valuable at a time when the “unknowns” can feel overwhelming.

These are all difficult issues, which is why the work of Palliative Care Queensland, and the remarkable organisations represented by each of you, is so important, and so necessary to the wellbeing of everyone in our society.

This complex area of health demands insights from diverse perspectives and underscores the vital role of education and knowledge-sharing in ensuring the latest advances in palliative care are embraced.

Next week, as iconic buildings around our state are lit in orange for National Palliative Care Week, including Government House, we will wear our orange hearts with pride—highly visible reminders that the qualities of warmth, care, friendship and encouragement are central to the goals of the palliative care sector.

I thank each of you for helping Queenslanders navigate this part of life’s journey, and I commend Palliative Care Queensland, for leading the way, and encouraging us to have more fully informed conversations about our own end-of-life choices.