Latest news with #RachelGriffiths
SBS Australia
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
SBS celebrates 50 years of reflecting a diverse and contemporary Australia
Marking 50 years of broadcasting on 9 June 2025, SBS reflects contemporary Australia like no other media network. With its bold and inclusive storytelling reaching more Australians than ever before, our hybrid funded national public broadcaster is celebrating its SBS50 birthday week with a special line-up of programming that pays homage to its unique past and looks forward to its distinctive future. 'The thing that I love about SBS is it doesn't tell me what to think. It just opens my eyes and my heart to see the world differently.' – Rachel Griffiths 'Fifty years ago, we were given the chance to see the world from a different point of view. And fifty years today, the world has had a chance to see us.' – Ernie Dingo 'It's a true reflection of the Australian story and the Australian experience.' – Melissa Leong Program highlights: Special SBS50-themed episodes of Insight , Living Black , Mastermind , The Cook Up with Adam Liaw , and The Weekly Football Wrap . , , and Reruns of cult classic South Park and new episodes of If You Are The One . and new episodes of . An SBS World Movies collection featuring original commentary from The Movie Show with iconic duo Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton. featuring original commentary from with iconic duo Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton. Community features with SBS Audio's 60+ language services, including video interviews with original 2EA/3EA radio presenters and exploring the changing multicultural faces of Australia. Watch SBS50 birthday video messages here from Rachel Griffiths, Hugh Jackman, Ernie Dingo, Melissa Leong, Benjamin Law, Courtney Act, Marc Fennell, Karla Grant, Adam Liaw, John Paul Janke, Joel Creasey, Jenny Brockie, Nornie Bero, Voyager, Lily Serna, Lydia Williams, John Aloisi, Maeve O'Meara, Peter Kuruvita, Kathy Lette, Claudia Karvan and Shane Delia. In a country home to the oldest continuous culture and where almost one-third of people were born overseas, SBS has long been holding up a mirror, enabling all Australians to see themselves and their stories through a distinctive media offering that can't be found elsewhere. 'The Australia you see on SBS is the Australia we all see when we walk out our front door every day,' said James Taylor, Managing Director of SBS. 'SBS's role is to protect a plurality of perspectives, foster deeper understanding, and promote a sense of belonging for all Australians – regardless of their background and where their story began. As Australia's most trusted news brand, trust is the foundation that drives our innovation-led news and multilingual content and that's never been more important than in today's global landscape of misinformation and distrust. 'We don't tell people what to think, or feel, but provide opportunities for everyone to experience the world around them. For 50 years, SBS has been unafraid to entertain, educate and provoke audiences with bold, human stories that amplify diverse voices and connect us all. I am proud that we never stand still, continuously evolving to meet the needs of a diverse, contemporary Australia. Today we are reaching the highest audience numbers in our history with the largest volume of original Australian content.' Where we have been Founded in 1975 as two small multilingual radio stations, 2EA and 3EA, to help promote the Australian Government's public health care scheme to non-English speaking communities and legislated in 1978, SBS's multi-platform services are today free and available for all Australians in over 60 languages. And since premiering the nation's first major prime-time Indigenous current affairs TV program, First In Line , in 1989, SBS has continued to pioneer First Nations representation, including welcoming National Indigenous Television (NITV) to its network as a free-to-air channel in 2012. Affectionately referred to as 'Sex Before Soccer' in the 1980s – a reference to its raunchy foreign films and European football called by iconic sports presenter and former refugee, the late Les Murray AM – SBS over the decades has also been synonymous with bringing South Park , Scandi Noir and the Eurovision Song Contest to Australians. Just as important has been SBS's sustained investment in locally-produced content and Australian talent, which is focused on supporting diversity both on and off screen to reflect a contemporary Australia often not otherwise fully seen or represented. The results are real, restless and daring stories that audiences love across news, current affairs, drama, documentary, food, sport and more. SBS has always punched well above its weight, from the ground-breaking factual series First Australians and Go Back to Where You Came From , to more recently Gina Chick winning the premiere season of Alone Australia , hard-hitting drama Safe Home , and Courtney Act and Tony Armstrong hosting this year's Eurovision watched by over 2.2 million Australians. Where we are going Today, SBS is an award-winning multiplatform, multilingual network that has been named Australia's most trusted news provider[1] and national podcaster of the year three years running[2]. It is also the first broadcaster to allow viewers to opt-out of advertising related to alcohol, gambling and quick-service restaurants, as well as being on track to reach Net Zero by 2045. 'SBS is for all Australians, by all Australians, and we've never been afraid to take risks and boldly go where others won't. Whether that's through content that reflects and helps shape our collective national identity, digital innovation that delivers world-class audience experiences, or socially and environmentally responsible practices that show care for community,' said Taylor. 'We've always known who we are and what we stand for at SBS. Our success is grounded in the deep trusted relationships we have built with Australian communities over half a century and this is what makes us unique. If you want to understand the real Australia, then let SBS be your guide because in myriad ways, we are leading the way forward for a more inclusive and cohesive nation.' SBS50 content line-up L-R: Karla Grant, Adam Liaw, Kumi Taguchi and Marc Fennell will host special SBS50 episodes of Living Black, The Cook Up with Adam Liaw, Insight and Mastermind respectively. SBS is marking its milestone 50th birthday with a distinctive slate of cross-network, multilingual content and activities, including outside broadcasts in regional locations and a partnership with VIVID Sydney. On SBS On Demand, a dedicated SBS50 Hub ( is celebrating all things SBS from across the decades including powerful SBS and NITV Originals and iconic arthouse films. SBS World Movies will feature an SBS50 curated collection of game-changing and quotable films, with original commentary from The Movie Show and SBS Cult Movies .In particular don't miss Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton who captivated audiences for almost 20 years from 1986 with their hearty debate, love for cinema and memorable reviews. A must watch! SBS's rich legacy of broadcasting football to a nation of 'non-soccer lovers' since the 80s is celebrated with a special episode of The Weekly Football Wrap that looks at the pioneers that championed the game and how far Australia has come in embracing the World Game (Monday 2 June at 10.20-11.20pm, VICELAND and SBS On Demand). Australia's longest running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander current affairs program, Living Black with Karla Grant, will explore how SBS with NITV at its heart has redefined the way Australia tells First Nations stories. (Monday 9 June at 8.30-9.30pm on NITV and 10.35-11.35pm on SBS). Marc Fennell unpacks SBS's milestone moments one question at a time with a special SBS50 themed week of Mastermind , each night dedicated to a defining SBS genre (sport, world movies, drama/documentary, and food) with special guests Silvia Colloca, Craig Foster, Ray Martin and Pia Miranda. (Monday 2 June to Friday 6 June at 6.00-6.30pm, SBS and SBS On Demand). The perfect recipe of food, chat and laughs in an SBS50 themed week of The Cook Up with Adam Liaw will feature some of SBS's biggest names in food, entertainment and sport to make the big five-0 a week to remember with five nightly episodes. (Monday 2 June to Friday 6 June at 7.00-7.30pm, SBS Food and SBS On Demand). Insight , hosted by Kumi Taguchi, asks is turning 50 a big deal for those Australians marking this milestone birthday in 2025. From mid-life crises to menopause, finding undiscovered family members and starting afresh, should 50 be feared, or embraced as a new beginning? (Tuesday 10 June at 8.30-9.30pm, SBS and SBS On Demand). Oh my God – we killed Kenny! The US cult classic South Park , which was first shown in Australia on SBS in 1998, is back for Aussie audiences, with seasons 1-15 now streaming on SBS On Demand until 30 June. And for those looking for a love story that pre-dates Tinder, the iconic Chinese dating reality show If You Are The One ,returns with new episodes of season 15 (Fridays at 6pm, VICELAND and SBS On Demand) and season 16 premiering on 8 August. SBS Audio's 60+ language services are producing community features exploring the changing faces of Australia. This ranges from video interviews with original 2EA and 3EA radio presenters to a 'Changing Street Corners' series focused on some of Australia's oldest and newest migrant communities, sharing their diverse perspectives and valuable contributions. Celebrating 50 years of connecting with communities, SBS Audio will also be conducting outside broadcasts with over 15 language programs including Filipino, Greek, Malayalam, Mandarin and Punjabi across Australia including Darwin, NT (Thursday 22 May), Toowoomba, Qld (Wednesday 18 June) and Gold Coast, Qld (Friday 27 June). For a pdf copy of this release, click here. [1] Reuters Digital News Report 2024 [2] Australian Podcast Awards 2022, 2023, 2024
ABC News
25-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
What voluntary assisted dying options are available for those with dementia?
John Griffiths suspects his mind is starting to fail. It is a horrifying prospect for the father-of-three, former Monash University engineering lecturer and CSIRO research scientist. The Melbourne man spends much of his time with his wife Rachel, who lives in residential aged care, reading her poems and short stories. "I've got nothing but praise for [her] carers. I think they're fantastic, professional and excellent," he said. While doctors say he is all clear at the moment, he will be assessed for dementia in the next year. If he does develop the condition, he would rather die than let it take hold. But his options are limited. Although voluntary assisted dying (VAD) will be legal in every Australian jurisdiction except the Northern Territory by the end of this year, it remains entirely off-limits for people with dementia. Instead, Mr Griffiths is considering a one-way ticket to Switzerland. The clock, however, is ticking. While the European nation is famous for the broad access it permits to end-of-life services, a person must still have "mental capacity". Mr Griffiths worries if he goes too early, he will needlessly shave years off his life, but if he leaves it too late, he may become ineligible. "This is now a terribly difficult thing I have to do, if I want to access (VAD)," he said. "I have to do it while I'm cognitively aware. He suspects other Australians will soon find themselves at a similar crossroads. Unlike most countries, Switzerland allows people to voluntarily end their lives, even if they are not sick nor a citizen. A report published by Australian charity Go Gentle this year cited data from one right-to-die association, claiming 38 Australians travelled to Switzerland to die between 1998 and 2021. Switzerland's right-to-die organisations charge a fee of between $20,000 and $30,000, excluding travel and accommodation, to procure the medication and handle the aftermath of the death, including cremation or transport of the body. Neuropsychologist Kylie Ladd, who has worked with dementia patients for 30 years and authored the Go Gentle report, said a person had to pass a series of interviews and be deemed to "have capacity" before they could proceed. Now that VAD is legal across much of the country, statistics on how many Australians are still going to Switzerland are hard to come by. Philip Nitschke, who has been the subject of long-running controversy, founded Exit International to advocate for end-of-life services around the world. He estimated about one to two Australians are continuing to travel abroad to end their lives each month. But even he, a vocal supporter of VAD, said dementia posed a particularly difficult problem. Dementia now ranks among the leading causes of death across many developed nations. With rates only set to increase, health departments all over the world are grappling with the question of VAD for those with the disorder. But relevant Australian peak bodies, including Dementia Australia, Council on the Ageing and Palliative Care Australia, said they were neutral on the subject. The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium allow VAD for dementia patients through an Advance Care Directive, a legal document setting out a person's healthcare wishes for when they can no longer make them. But uptake has been low. Dementia patients constituted only 3.7 per cent of all VAD deaths in the Netherlands in 2023. In Belgium only 0.95 per cent of VAD deaths were people with cognitive disorders, including many forms of dementia, between 2018 and 2021. In both cases, most patients had only early-stage dementia. Dr Ladd said many doctors and loved ones baulked at the idea of ending the life of a person "who doesn't know what's going on". She cited a Dutch study that found three in four relatives of nursing home residents with advanced dementia asked physicians not to act on their loved ones' request for VAD through Advance Care Directives. Another study found support for the idea dropped dramatically once survey participants were given specific scenarios and asked whether VAD should be administered. "Public acceptance … has been shown to decrease significantly when the situation moves from being a theoretical question to a lived reality," she wrote. There are also legal issues. In the Netherlands in 2016, a criminal investigation was launched into a physician who complied with an elderly dementia patient's Advance Care Directive, after it emerged the patient pulled away when given the fatal dose. Along with practical hurdles, Dr Ladd said Dutch ethicists were grappling with philosophical questions. They ask whether a person who draws up an Advance Care Directive is still the same person once dementia takes hold, and whether it is possible for a competent person to foresee what life with dementia would be like. If the answer to either question is "no", it may invalidate the document. "They're not just medical issues. They're not just legal issues," Dr Ladd said. Dr Nitschke believed while the Dutch should be commended for grappling with VAD for dementia patients, problems would always arise in "outsourcing death". He believed technology would provide a better option. "Instead of outsourcing your death to someone else, like the medical profession, you're taking responsibility for your own death," Dr Nitschke said. His approach has been disputed in the past. Last year, his organisation opened The Last Resort, designed to let people die for free using specially designed pods. But after one was used successfully, several staff were detained on suspicion of aiding and abetting suicide. They were eventually released. Dr Nitschke argued it was important to give people options, and noted a key benefit of the Dutch system was the peace of mind it offered, particularly after a dementia diagnosis. "That's by far the biggest benefit we're seeing in the Netherlands," he said. It would certainly be a comfort to Mr Griffiths. The Melbourne man said he did not know how Australian VAD laws should be written, or what he would do when "push comes to shove". But he said he would not make any decision about his own death until his wife had passed away. "I think it'd be a bit selfish to go before she does," he said. When the end is approaching, he said it would be a relief to know he could die on his own terms with dementia in Australia. "Very much so," he said. "Everyone says once you get the OK it gives you a lot of peace. "Whether or not you access it or not is not such a big drama.
The Guardian
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Away with Rachel Griffiths: ‘I feel more relaxed holidaying in Australia'
There are a few travel rules Rachel Griffiths swears by. Don't drink on the plane. In fact, don't eat on the plane. Get on local time as quickly as possible. And never forget your packing cubes. Travel is a necessary part of the job for an actor. Ever since her breakthrough role in Muriel's Wedding, Griffiths has spent a lot of time working abroad. Many gigs take her to Hollywood, but her latest took her to New Zealand. In the new TV show Madam, on Channel Nine, she stars as an American woman in small-town New Zealand who opens an ethical brothel to provide for her family. But Griffiths also loves to travel for pleasure – recent trips include a three-month stint in Italy. Here, the screen star tells us the good and bad of her travelling life, as well as the story of the one holiday she wishes she didn't take. Who makes an excellent travel companion? I think it's nice to have a different skill set. If you're not a highly organised person, it's good to [travel] with somebody who loves doing all that research. And you've got to have someone who wants, sensually, the same stuff as you – whether that's outdoor adventure or food. I think you need the same appetite to be satiated. What's your earliest childhood holiday memory? Taking the train to Brisbane, arriving at my grandmother's house in Clayfield and seeing a mango tree for the first time. My brothers and I scampered straight up and hung there like monkeys until we were almost sick. It was like arriving at the Garden of Eden. Mangoes were really uncommon growing up [in Melbourne] (it was such a special thing to get a mango!) and the fact they grew on trees just blew my mind. Describe your most memorable travel meal – good, bad or just surprising. My favourite travel meal of all time was in an Amtrak dining car with my mother and four-year-old daughter, Adelaide. We took the train from Los Angeles to Chicago – I'm mad about train travel – and we crossed the Mississippi River with an entire dining cart full of Amish women. They were all sewing. Do I remember what I ate? Probably not, but it was like, you're not in Kansas any more! Or, actually, we might have been in Kansas. I think we were in Kansas. But it was just one of those amazing travel experiences. Where's the most relaxing place you've ever visited? Relaxing is when you don't feel obligated to go to that gallery or that museum or that Instagram site. So probably when I was pregnant with my first child and we went to this tiny little spot in Queensland called Oak Beach. We rented a house that I think might have once belonged to Peter Allen on the beach. I was kind of hiding because I didn't want to be publicly pregnant yet, and there was just nothing to do but eat, swim, breathe. I think I feel more relaxed holidaying in Australia because I don't feel like I'm meant to be doing 'the stuff'. And the most stressful? I found Florence pretty stressful because it was having a peak tourist moment when we went last year. Getting around, the crowds, and realising you either have to stay in line for a really long time or be so close but not be able to actually see the David [sculpture] was quite frazzling. What's your holiday ritual? No matter what time I arrive, I dump the bags, have a shower and go out. Even if you get in really late, I think it's important to just go and grab the vibe of the place. What's one item you always put in your suitcase? In my carry-on, noise-cancelling headphones and a good eye mask. I also usually bring my own travel blanket or a very fine shawl. If I'm in economy, sometimes I'll just put it over my head. You can still breathe but you're in your own little bubble where you can sit and watch your content. And in my suitcase? I always travel with a laundry bag so I can keep my dirty things separate. And I've been into packing cubes for an extremely long time, before they were a thing. What's your biggest travel regret? Thinking that the 2000 Olympics were going to be a massive dud – so I went to Europe. And everyone was like, 'You should come home! It's really amazing!' I thought I was so smart leaving and then had the biggest Fomo. Everyone in Sydney, and anyone awake for those games, has said it was just one of the best times of their life. I'm like, I could have been there watching Cathy win the 400! But no, I was all smart on the other side of the world. Rachel Griffiths appears in Madam on Channel Nine and 9Now on Tuesdays at 9pm
