Palliative Care Australia (PCA) has announced 40 new scholarships to support people working in underserved communities within Australia to attend the 2019 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference (19OPCC) in Perth, WA.

The theme of #19OPCC is ‘Universal Access: Oceans of Opportunities’, and the three-day event (10 – 13 September) will focus on palliative care as a human right and ensuring underserved populations can access palliative care at the end of life.

PCA CEO Rohan Greenland said Continuing Professional Development Scholarships offer care providers and health professionals from underserved populations a valuable opportunity to share ideas, knowledge and experiences with experts from across the palliative care sector.

“PCA is delighted to offer these scholarships to support people working with underserved populations to be part of #19OPCC,” said Mr Greenland.

“We know that there is inequitable access to palliative care across Australia. All people with a life-limiting illness should be able to access quality palliative care no matter their postcode, diagnosis, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or place of care, to enable them to have the best quality of life for as long as possible.

“By offering additional professional development assistance to people working in underserved populations we hope to address these inequalities and also break down some of the significant barriers that restrict access to ongoing training and skills development for those working in rural and remote communities.”

PCA will provide up to 40 Continuing Professional Development Scholarships to successful applicants currently providing care to one or more of the following underserved communities within Australia: · people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
• people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex (LGBTI)
• people living with a disability · people living with a mental illness
• asylum seekers and refugee communities
• people experiencing homelessness
• people within correctional settings.

Applicants do not need to be from the palliative care sector.

Successful applicants will be eligible to access a scholarship of between $1,265 and $4,500 (ex GST), dependant on their location. Applications close Friday 24 May 2019.

For more information about the #19OPCC Continuing Professional Development Scholarships, including full eligibility criteria, please visit

New learning opportunities for Australians working in underserved populations