Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

World Blood Day is being held on 14 June throughout the world. It is going to focus on special activities, to pay tribute to the millions of people who selflessly donate that lifesaving gift of blood. This year’s theme will be Many Happy Returns. Governments and national blood transfusion services are joining hands with the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, voluntary blood donor organisations, community organisations, schools and colleges to mark longer-term campaigns to increase the number of voluntary blood donors who donate blood on a regular basis. Since it was first launched in 2004, World Blood Donor Day has also served as a platform for broader activities in many countries, including the restructuring of national blood transfusion services, the development of legislation on voluntary blood donation and the launch of national guidelines on blood transfusion.

Just recently I gave up politics for an afternoon to donate blood, as I do on a reasonably regular basis. Afterwards, I opened the new blood donor centre at Liverpool, which is in my electorate. The new Liverpool blood donor centre replaces the old centre which first opened its doors in 1998 with a total of four beds, four nursing staff and was open for three days a week. As awareness for the need to donate blood grew in the community, the opening hours eventually increased to five days. Today the support and commitment of Liverpool and south-western Sydney generally is such that they have now moved to larger premises—a state-of-the-art blood donating facility.

Across the country, the need for blood and blood products is continuing to grow each year. At present Australians need 21,000 donations per week to ensure that adequate supplies are there for those who need them. As I understand it, in the next 10 years, this figure is expected to double. Presently, one Australian in three will need blood products at some stage during their lifetime, but only one in 30 donate. Blood and blood products provide the gift of life to an estimated 100,000 Australians every year. Donated blood and blood products are used to treat a wide range of people, including accident victims, patients undergoing surgery, children suffering from leukaemia, recipients of organ and blood and marrow transplants, people with blood disorders such as haemophilia, and premature babies. In fact, 30 per cent of blood donated goes towards helping people with cancer; 15 per cent helps people with heart disease; 15 per cent goes to people with stomach and bowel disease; 12 per cent goes towards saving the lives of victims of road accidents et cetera; six per cent goes to people with liver and kidney disease; five per cent goes to people with haemophilia to ensure that they have an ongoing quality of life; and a further five per cent, Madam Deputy Speaker, you will be happy to know, goes to expectant mums and their babies so that they can have a happier life together.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service provides an essential service through the collection of blood from generous donors within our community and around the nation. The work of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service ensures that members of our community with life-threatening illnesses who need urgent blood supplies are able to get that product. The centre in my electorate, like many across the nation, helps to improve and save the lives of thousands of Australians each week. The Rudd government supports the action to improve the rate of donation. This government, in particular the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, and the parliamentary secretary, Senator Jan McLucas, are involved in activities to increase the rate of blood and blood-related donations. I congratulate them for being aware of the need to improve the system and to encourage more people to donate.

By donating blood, people can give back to their community and know that what they are doing really does help their fellow Australians in a very, very practical way. Giving blood is a relatively simple but rewarding experience, and I would encourage the wider community to also give blood. I recognise that many people would not be here today if it were not for the generosity of the numbers of volunteer, unpaid blood donors who give blood simply to help others. The generosity of these donors enables the Red Cross Blood Service to provide a world-leading, safe and sufficient blood supply for all Australians. I congratulate Joanna Huggett and her staff at the Liverpool donor centre—(Time expired)

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