The Violet Initiative has appointed former chief minister Kate Carnell as its new board chair.
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Violet is a national not-for-profit organisation, providing information and support to people to navigate the last stages of life, and the accompanying grief and loss.
Ms Carnell, also a pharmacist and former chief executive of Beyond Blue, was honoured to lead an organisation "seeking to change the way we plan, talk about and experience death and dying in Australia".
"Dying remains one of the last taboos in our society. Everybody dies, yet we are all too often not prepared for death," she said.
"I hope to share my experiences and the lessons I learnt in mental health and wellbeing, during my time in leadership positions at Beyond Blue. Particularly to help normalise and raise the profile of the importance of the final stages of life.
"End of life is more than just a medical response to our final days, it should be about a holistic approach which includes family, friends, carers and the person who is dying."
Violet's chief executive Melissa Reader said Ms Carnell's appointment came at a critical time for the nation.
"With the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and natural disasters, the royal commission into aged care, the issue of death and dying has been very much on the front page," Ms Reader said.
"Yet it remains something family and friends shy away from discussing, especially how they can make the final stage of life as positive as possible. We know that all too often, people are unprepared for their end-of-life stages and experiences. We do too little, too late.
"At Violet, we want to change the perception about the last stage of life. It's not just the final hours, but the months and even years leading up to death. We work to encourage people to talk, learn, plan and ultimately accept death and dying."
