The first annual snapshot report looking at the operation of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws across Australia and New Zealand. The report finds that the laws are operating safely and compassionately, but access and equity vary. It also finds that some provisions intended as safeguards are operating as barriers to access for eligible people.

This report analyses trends in sexual and reproductive health service seeking across Victoria with a focus on abortion and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). It reveals major ongoing inequities in abortion and contraception access, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities in some regional areas. Detailed recommendations are provided to inform needs-based health policy and service provision and planning.

This report explores the relationship between patient experience and socioeconomic disadvantage in NSW, showing that social determinants can present a major barrier to health access, experience and outcomes. It reveals a decline in patient experience, particularly in regional areas, with cost emerging as a significant barrier to accessing healthcare.

This in-depth analysis of the midwifery profession reveals widespread staffing shortfalls, particularly in non-metropolitan areas. The report says that the workforce is in crisis and urgent action is needed to boost midwifery students by a fifth. The report provides more than 30 recommendations to grow the midwifery workforce and ensure its future.

The purpose of this report is to explore how the Department of Education is approaching the issues facing the Victorian education system, and give voice to the first‑hand accounts of stakeholders who experience the policies and initiatives in practice, including the ways in which this existing work falls short or could be improved. The report...