Penny Neller

Penny Neller serves as the National Palliative Care Projects Coordinator at the Australian Centre for Health Law Research, with dual affiliations in the Faculty of Business and Law and the Faculty of Health, School of Nursing at Queensland University of Technology. She manages two significant Australian Government Department of Health-funded initiatives: End of Life Law for Clinicians, a national training program for health professionals, and the End of Life Directions for Aged Care End of Life Law Toolkit.

Ms. Neller co-authors the comprehensive resource End of Life Law in Australia, providing free public access to jurisdiction-specific end-of-life legal information. With 13 years of legal experience focused on end-of-life law, health policy, and advocacy for vulnerable populations, her work centers on improving policy and practice to ensure end-of-life care aligns with individual preferences.

Her research explores critical intersections between law and healthcare, with particular emphasis on health professionals' legal knowledge gaps, culturally responsive care models, Indigenous perspectives on end-of-life decision-making, and implementation challenges of voluntary assisted dying legislation in aged care settings. Ms. Neller's publications reveal a consistent focus on translating complex legal frameworks into practical clinical guidance across diverse healthcare disciplines.

Her scholarly output demonstrates an evolving research trajectory from foundational legal education resources toward increasingly specialized investigations of cultural safety, Indigenous health perspectives, and implementation challenges in specific healthcare settings. This progression reflects growing sophistication in addressing the nuanced legal-ethical challenges at life's end.

• Major Projects:
  • End of Life Law for Clinicians - national training program for health professionals
  • End of Life Directions for Aged Care End of Life Law Toolkit - resource for aged and palliative care providers
  • End of Life Law in Australia - public legal information website
• Research Focus Evolution:
  • Initial focus on baseline legal knowledge assessment among clinicians
  • Development and evaluation of targeted educational interventions
  • Specialization in cultural safety and Indigenous perspectives
  • Implementation challenges of specific legislation in care settings

Ms. Neller maintains extensive collaborations with leading scholars including Ben White, Lindy Willmott, Rebecca Feeney, and Patsy Yates, forming a robust research network that bridges legal scholarship with clinical practice across multiple healthcare disciplines. Her work consistently emphasizes practical application, aiming to equip clinicians with the legal knowledge and confidence necessary to navigate complex end-of-life situations while respecting patient autonomy within established legal frameworks.