Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

As I have been outlining, the government has put together a package. We recognise that organ and tissue donation rates have remained comparatively low in relation to other countries. I indicated in the principal answer that we have also implemented a plan to focus on the measures and to reflect the Sharelife Australia plan. I also indicated that the early signs are promising. In the past two years we have also averaged over 50 donors more than for the last 10 years before that. So the signs are encouraging, but it is recognised that comparatively they still remain low. Clearly, to improve donation rates we must change two things: first, hospitals need systems and staff of the right capacity and expertise to enable organ and tissue donations and, second—one of the most important—Australians need to be empowered with the information necessary to make informed choices. (Time expired)