National palliative care measures

All people require evidence-based and person-centred care at the end of their lives. However, it is recognised that this care is not equally available to all people across Australia. The National Palliative Care Strategy (2018) (the Strategy) represents the commitment of the Commonwealth, state, and territory governments to ensuring the highest possible level of palliative and end-of-life care is available to all people.

Well-defined measures help to drive improvements in a sector and, when monitored regularly, act as a concise guide for informed decision-making. The national palliative care measures aim to track if 'people affected by life-limiting illnesses get the care they need to live well' aligning with the Strategy's vision. These measures were developed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in alignment with the broad goals of the Strategy. This report provides an update on the progress of these measures. 

In 2026 the measures will be updated in two tranches. This release updates measures 1.1, 1.2, 3.2, 4.2b and 5.1a; updates to measures 2.1, 4.1 and 4.2a will be published in late 2026.