Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Time is such a precious commodity. I also believe it is relative. It slips by so quickly when the task is enjoyable or demanding and inversely can drag on when it is not. On a broader scale, none of us actually know how much time we have. This week is National Palliative Care Week, and I want to take a moment of time to thank those who spend their time caring for people whose time is running out. It takes a special calibre of person to do that job: an ability to read a situation and to act with professionalism, care and compassion. I lost my father last year and I am incredibly indebted and grateful to the palliative care team, along with my family, who cared for him in his final days.

Good palliative care means the world to the dying and to their loved ones. In New South Wales we do not have enough qualified palliative care doctors and nurses to meet the growing need. The Cancer Council estimate at least 10 specialist palliative care doctors and 129 palliative care nurses are needed in New South Wales alone. They are campaigning for more.

I would ask you, in this National Palliative Care Week, to consider adding your voice to the campaign for better palliative care for the dying and their families. As we celebrate life, please take the time to talk about the end-of-life care you would like, and a place to start is dyingtotalk.org.au.

See this speech in context