Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is Saffron Day. It is a day inspired by the story of a young boy named Deyaan Udani, who tragically died in 2016 whilst on holiday in India with his family. He was a bright seven-year-old, and he had discussed organ donation at Quakers Hill Public School in my area, where he went to school. It's about having that conversation about organ donation, because when Deyaan died, his precious gift of organ donation gave four people another chance at a full and healthy life. We should all be having that conversation.

There are three steps to Saffron Day. The first is to register your decision to save lives by registering as an organ donor. The second is to spread the word, updating on social media using the hashtags #saffronday and #doitforDeyaan. The third is to share with your family, encouraging your family to do the same and having the conversation with them about being an organ donor.

I took the opportunity to look up a few organ donation myths, and there is one that even I didn't understand until I read this today. I have an organ donation preference on my drivers licence, but, as it says on the Saffron Day website, you actually have to register with the Australian Organ Donor Register database, because, if you go into a hospital without your licence, the staff have no way of knowing if you actually wish to donate. So I encourage all Australians to have that conversation and to help save lives.