Advertise on podcast: Australian Centre for Health Law Research

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In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, science and public health are under sustained attack. Mis- and disinformation about health is rampant in social media and beyond, amplified by artificial intelligence. Populist governments in the United States and elsewhere perpetuate false health information, fueling anti-science beliefs ranging from vaccines and water fluoridation to raw milk. The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization, while drastically slashing funding for scientific research, global health, and foreign assistance. President Trump withdrew from negotiations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement and refused to adopt amendments to the International Health Regulations. All this tears at the fabric of global solidarity and justice. The impacts have been far reaching in areas ranging from HIV/AIDS and pathogen surveillance, through to childhood vaccines and the polio eradication campaign. WHO has slashed its own staff amidst savage budget cuts. GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance is facing major funding shortfalls. When truth is debatable and science is undermined, democracy is weakened. These same populist impulses have seen withering attacks not only on public health, but also freedom of the press, academic institutions, and free and fair elections. Robust institutions like the US CDC, FDA, and NIH are beginning to crack, with little check on the executive branch. While many countries look on in horror, they too may be just an election away from a populist movement taking political control. In this troubling era, it is vital to stand up for science, public health, and democracy itself. In this lecture, I will explain why the scientific method is misunderstood and why it is a singularly important way to advance human health and democratic values. I will explain why advancing the right to health is necessary for human flourishing and civic virtue. Liberal democracies are moving rapidly toward rigid individual autonomy and national sovereignty. Instead of asking, “what does government and society owe me as a rights bearing individual and my nation as a sovereign”, we need to ask another question. We need to ask what duties we owe to one another to ensure public health and wellbeing. What can I do for my family, my neighbors, my community and my world. A world built on equity and justice, and on global solidarity based on democratic values is a future worth fighting for. Perhaps another way to say all this is we must reject selfishness, indecency, and dishonesty, and embrace mutual obligations, compassion, and love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Past, Present and Future of Assisted Dying: A Long-Term Evolutionary Lens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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In this podcast, Penny Neller from the Australian Centre for Health Law Research's End of Life Law for Clinicians training program is joined by GP Dr Sara Townend and Dr Madeleine Archer (PhD) to discuss first conversations about voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in practice. They provide practical and legal insights for doctors about navigating VAD conversations with patients, legal rights and obligations under State and Territory VAD laws, conscientious objection, and more. This podcast is based on their 2025 Australian Journal of General Practice article First conversations about voluntary assisted dying in general practice. For more information on Australia's voluntary assisted dying laws visit End of Life Law in Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Child Maltreatment in Canada: What we know and how we can do better Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Scott McDougall discussed how the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld) is influencing the provision of health care in Queensland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ACHLR public lecture on 29 May 2025 with Bill Mitchell OAM HonLLD presenting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Professor Dominique E. Martin will discuss the ethical and legal implications of “family vetoes” in the case of deceased registered organ donors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of 2024, Sinead talks with PhD candidate Craig Stanbury from Monash Bioethics Centre on his research about the ethics of procreating in a time of climate change. Craig talks about the role of justice in moral tragedies, the rights, responsibilities, and duties of people in their reproductive choices, and how all of us can have important conversations about our roles in mitigating climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2023 ACHLR is proud to deliver its 11th Oration presented by Professor Emily Jackson who will discuss Regulating Reproduction. This lecture will revisit some of the themes of Professor Jackson’s 2001 book Regulating Reproduction: Law, Technology and Autonomy, in which she argued that women’s reproductive autonomy should be better protected by the law; has there been progress over the last 22 years; or has there sometimes been one step forwards and two steps backwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Epilogue the Learn Me Right in Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) mini-series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruthie and Sinead are delighted to release a special podcast with the Hon. Justice Michael Kirby who discusses his role in the World Health Organisation’s response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Australia, as well as unique features of the Australian response that enabled the nation to quickly and effectively curtail a public health emergency that was disproportionately affecting vulnerable people. Michael also discusses the importance of individuals to make change in health law, specifically the importance of joining movements and organisations and of simply being kind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices