Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on this occasion to speak about the importance of organ donation. Recently, Australians celebrated DonateLife week, which aims to highlight the importance of organ donation and speaking to your family about your wishes. It should not only be during DonateLife week that we discuss organ donation. This is something that we should continually be thinking about. Forty per cent of Australians do not know the wishes of their loved ones when it comes to organ donation. I feel it is a discussion all families should be having.

As part of the national reform package for organ and tissue donation, the family of every potential donor will be asked to give their consent to donation if the situation arises. The request will be made by trained health professionals. Even if you have registered your wish to be a donor, your family will still be asked to give consent. The most important thing people want to know in order to make a decision about a family member becoming a donor is the wishes of the deceased. Organ donation can be a sensitive subject, but I urge you to speak up.

In 2010, 309 organ donors gave 931 Australians a new chance at life. One organ and tissue donor can save the lives of up to 10 people and significantly improve the lives of dozens more. Australia has a world-class reputation for successful transplant outcomes but has one of the lowest donation rates in the developed world. As a nation, we can do better. Around 1,700 people are on Australian organ transplant waiting lists at any one time. On average, people on the transplant list must wait between six months and four years. This year, we should make it a priority to fix it

If you are struggling with making the decision of whether or not to be an organ donor, I suggest you take some time to read some of the stories from the DonateLife Book of Life, available on the website. A story that I was particularly struck by was the story of Michael. Michael died when he was 32 and his organs helped six people with life-saving transplants. I quote from the Book of Life:

Michael was very healthy and active in the Surf Lifesaving movement and a member of the Palm Beach Surf Club since he left school. He loved to surf.

He enjoyed country music, writing songs and he played in a band that was gaining recognition, winning a Tiara Country Music Award. At the time of his death Michael was nominated for a Golden Guitar Award. He made frequent visits to Tamworth, and one night he crashed into a tree on his way to Tamworth to visit his girlfriend before giving a performance nearby.

We were told that with the head injuries he sustained meant that he wasn’t going to make it. He had discussed organ donation as a family and Michael knew he wanted to be an organ donor.

Michael’s loving and generous spirit spread with a generous legacy of organ donation helped save and transform the lives of six people.

As you can see, one donor can save the lives of many. I am sure the families of those six recipients are eternally grateful for Michael’s sacrifice.

The book is filled with stories such as this. One organ donor was a mere 15-month-old. It takes great courage for a family to make a decision like this but they can and they can rest assured there are real, life-changing benefits from their decision.

I am pleased to say that in my home state of Tasmania we had the highest rate of organ donation last year. This was a dramatic improvement from the previous year. I urge all of you and all Australians to register, and one day, hopefully, to save the lives of many through your decision.

I want to make this very public request to my family that my organs be donated. I trust that will not be soon.