TV Interviews
Channel 10: The Project 'The Last Chapter'
Publication date: 10 April 2025
Violet CEO Melissa Reader joined healthcare experts in a powerful 10-minute national segment examining Australia's aging population crisis. The feature highlighted how 25% of hospital beds are occupied by people in their final stage of life, while 90% would prefer to be at home, underscoring Violet's mission to improve end-of-life planning and care.
Radio Interviews
ABC Radio: Sydney Breakfast with Chris Taylor
Publication date: 15 April 2025
Violet CEO Melissa Reader discussed the "Sandwich Generation" as a potential election wild card—predominantly female voters balancing careers with caring for both aging parents and children. The analysis explores how this powerful emerging voting bloc, forged by shared struggle rather than traditional political allegiances, could significantly impact electoral outcomes as they demand recognition after years of being systematically ignored by policymakers across the spectrum.
ABC Radio: Breakfast with Fiona Poole
Publication date: 15 April 2025
Violet CEO Melissa Reader discussed Australia's approaching care crisis with ABC North Coast, revealed how midlife women are forming a powerful voting bloc united by caregiving challenges, while only 14% of Australians have meaningful end-of-life plans and unpaid carers sacrifice $15 billion in earnings annually.
ABC Radio: Sydney Breakfast with Craig Reucassel
Publication date: 10 April 2025
Violet CEO Melissa Reader joined Craig Reucassel to discuss the growing crisis facing Australia's 'Sandwich Generation' - those caught between caring for aging parents while managing careers and families. The segment highlighted Bernard Salt's research showing unpaid caregiving peaks at age 58, and how by 2031, Australia will see 65,000 people turning 85 annually, creating unprecedented pressures on unprepared families.
ABC Radio: Afternoons with James Valentine
Publication date: 18 February 2025
Violet CEO Melissa Reader discussed "The Triple Squeeze" facing Australians caught between aging parents, children, and careers. The segment explored the hidden struggles of caregivers: career penalties, emotional exhaustion, financial strain, and the impossible mathematics of stretching resources across three generations.
ABC Radio: Sydney Breakfast with Craig Reucassel
Publication date: 10 October 2024
Violet's CEO Melissa Reader joined Craig Reucassel for an engaging morning discussion about new aged care reforms supporting Australians' wishes to die at home. The lighthearted yet meaningful conversation highlighted Violet's commitment to working with government and providers to help close the gap between people's preferences and experiences in their final stage of life.
2GB Interview
Publication date: 20 July 2024
Violet CEO Melissa Reader joined Michael McLaren on 2GB Afternoons for an insightful discussion about Australia's end-of-life experiences. The conversation explored how many Australians wish to spend their final moments at home, examining both the emotional and financial costs of hospital deaths and emphasising the importance of planning ahead to ensure dignified, peaceful transitions that honor people's wishes.
Articles
Women's Agenda: The ‘sandwich generation’ squeeze: the women caring for children and ageing parents
Publication date: 10 April 2025
Violet CEO Melissa Reader writes about Australia's looming demographic crisis in Women's Agenda, highlighting how by 2032, Australia's 85+ population will grow by 60,000 annually—quadrupling current rates. The article examines the disproportionate impact on women as the "sandwich generation," juggling careers, childcare, and elder care responsibilities, calling for urgent policy attention to this growing national issue.
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Mamamia: The reality of being a widow
Publication date: 13 November 2024
Violet's founder Melissa Reader shared her personal journey following her husband Mauro's death, highlighting the overwhelming "Sadmin" - the bureaucratic burden that compounds grief. The article explores how she navigated this difficult period while caring for three young children, and how this experience inspired Violet's mission to break the silence around death and encourage better preparation for life's final chapter.
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Innovation Australia: The true cost of Australia' 'Silver tsunami'
Publication date: 4 November 2024
Violet Chair Kate Carnell authored a compelling piece highlighting the emotional and financial challenges in Australia's end-of-life care system. Drawing on her extensive experience in mental health reform with Beyond Blue, Carnell advocates for innovative policies and better planning to preserve dignity for aging Australians while outlining how Violet is scaling to reduce costs and complexity across healthcare, aged care, and financial services.
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AFR: Why can’t we die at home any more?
Publication date: 21 July 2024
The Violet Initiative's new report reveals Australia's "death-denying" culture is overwhelming hospitals, with 25% of public hospital beds occupied by elderly patients in their final year of life, often receiving high-intensity interventions against their preferences. Violet Chair Kate Carnell highlighted this crisis amid widespread hospital overcrowding, bed blocks, surgery delays, and ambulance ramping.
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Smart Company: Neural Notes: AI-powered Violet eases ‘sadmin’ burdens for end-of-life care
Publication date: 7 June 2024
Violet's founder Melissa Reader shared her personal struggle with "Sadmin" in Smart Company, detailing how ten years after her husband's death, she faced costly, time-consuming, and emotionally draining bureaucracy to claim his shares. The article highlights research showing 87% of caregivers face similar challenges, emphasising how broken administrative processes compound grief and suggesting better systems would benefit both businesses and bereaved families.
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AFR: Resilience in Leadership
Publication date: April 2024
Violet CEO Melissa Reader reflected on her career challenges and learnings, sharing how early professional setbacks helped develop her leadership style. The piece explores the importance of balancing positional power with personal authenticity, and how leaders can foster innovation through curiosity-driven questions rather than scrutiny. Reader emphasises how this approach has strengthened her ability to drive meaningful change at Violet.
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The Australian: We need to talk about death
Publication date: 10 April 2025
Violet CEO Melissa Reader shared her deeply personal story with The Australian, describing how her husband Mauro's death without meaningful end-of-life planning left lasting impacts on her family. Alongside experts Kate Carnell, Ken Hillman, Imogen Mitchell, and Sheryle Moon, the feature explores Violet's mission to bring death "out of the shadows" and provide families with essential support during life's final chapter.
