Debate resumed, on motion by Ms Brodtmann:

That this House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

organ donor rates are showing slow and sustained improvement in 2010;

(b)

more than 98 per cent of Australians agree that organ and tissue donation have the potential to save and improve lives, yet less than 60 per cent of Australians accept the invitation for their loved ones to become organ donors when asked;

(c)

there are more than 1700 Australians on the transplant waiting list at any time;

(d)

many more Australians cannot get into waiting lists as they are too sick or unlikely to receive a life saving transplant because there are not enough donors; and

(e)

the Government has invested more than $150 million over four years to establish a coordinated approach to organ donation, enabling all jurisdictions to work cooperatively to support sustained improvements in organ donation in Australia; and

(2)

acknowledges:

(a)

the selfless act of the 228 donor families who have already donated organs in 2010 (to 30 September), which has saved or improved the lives of at least 683 Australians;

(b)

the work undertaken across jurisdictions led by the National Medical Director of the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority, State and Territory Medical Directors and clinical groups to develop nationally consistent protocols and clinical triggers;

(c)

the support of community groups such as Gift of Life, Kidney Health Australia, Transplant Australia, the Organ Donation and Transplant Foundation of Western Australia and the David Hookes Foundation, which are integral in supporting the work of clinicians in improving organ donor rates; and

(d)

the importance of a steady and sustained improvement in organ donor rates to support Australia’s quest to become a world leader in organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

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