In this issue we are pleased to publish our second print symposium. Organized and edited by Ian Kerridge, Paul Komesaroff, Mal Parker and Elizabeth Peter, it draws together a range of expert perspectives on ethical issues at the end of life. These are illuminated by meditations on death and dying in the poetry of Les Murray and Kevin Hart. One of the aims of our regular symposia is to promote ongoing dialogue across the disciplines on specific themes, and we hope that readers are inspired to respond to the papers presented in this issue.

We would also like to express our gratitude for the contributions made by two board members who have stepped down, for personal and professional reasons, in the past months. We thank Nikki Sullivan, an internationally known cultural studies expert, both for her contribution of the past few years and for generously suggesting an enthusiastic replacement—Samantha Murray. We are very pleased to welcome Samantha on to the board. We also thank Michael Selgelid for his contribution, particularly in co-editing the previous (special) issue of the JBI, and wish him well in his future endeavours. The special issue proved timely in its subject matter, going to press as the world grappled with the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Finally, we welcome on board a new panel of legal experts from around the globe, who will be collaborating with Cameron Stewart on the regular section, Recent Developments: Timothy Caulfield, John Coggon, Sarah Elliston, Barry Furrow, Richard Huxtable, Trudo Lemmens, Ron Patterson, Shaun Pattinson, Jerome Singh, Tade Spranger and Laura Williamson. We are proud to present the first of these internationalized columns in this issue.