Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also acknowledge the very lovely contribution by the member for Hughes to this debate. It is wonderful to hear that your brother is doing so well. There have been many emotional stories that have formed part of this debate. That really drives home for us here in this place just how terrible it is when your family members become ill and you feel so powerless that you cannot do anything about it. I think this bill touches the heart of that. The member for Hughes’s speech was a very personal one and I thank her for that contribution.

I rise today to support the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Bill 2008. Over recent years I have had cause to discuss with my own family the importance of organ donation. When I was going through my husband’s wallet—not that I do that on a great many occasions!—I discovered that he had an organ donation card. I did not know that he had registered as an organ donor because we had not had that discussion, so we promptly did have that discussion. He discovered that I too had registered as an organ donor, but neither of us had had any dialogue about it. That goes to the heart of many of the aspects of this bill—just how important it is not only to register as an organ donor but to have the discussions now, when we are well, within our families to make sure that people know our wishes.

It is not an easy thing to contemplate death, but unfortunately it is an inevitable part of our lives that we are eventually going to die. Hopefully we do not die in tragic circumstances, but if we do those of us who wish to make a contribution by way of donating our organs need to make sure that our family members absolutely know our wishes now so that they are in a position to carry them through. Certainly my family has had that discussion. Yesterday I had that discussion with my sister-in-law, who is here caring for my young son, Ryan, and I discovered that she also is an organ donor, which I am very pleased about.

There are many people across Australia who have had similar conversations with their loved ones, and there are also many families who have not. The Rudd government is aiming to make this a topic of conversation across every dinner table in Australia. Our aim is to position Australia as a world leader in best practice organ donations and transplantations.

There are approximately 1,800 people on a waiting list for organ donations in Australia, and it is the responsibility of government to reform our health system to improve and to save the lives of these people. We plan to do this by implementing a system that will improve organ donation rates across the nation—a system that has been supported by all Australian governments via the Council of Australian Governments. At the COAG meeting in Sydney on 3 July, all states and territories endorsed this organ and tissue donation support package. With support from state and territory governments, we as a nation can implement a nationally coordinated organ donation and transplantation system. That nationally consistent approach will be based on world’s best practice models.

The bill establishes the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority. The authority will be established to lead a coordinated, consistent approach to organ and tissue donation and transplantation initiatives, including a network of organ and tissue donation agencies. The authority will work with the states and territories and with all stakeholders to build a world-class system. Progress has already been made towards having this authority up and running by the start of next year.

The authority will be managed by a CEO, and the position has already been advertised. The Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority, headed by the CEO, will be responsible for implementing this government’s $151.1 million reform package. The package reflects our commitment to improving our nation’s health system. The package includes $67 million to employ medical specialist staff and other clinical positions dedicated to organ donation. This funding will provide staff to both private and public hospitals. These specialist staff will work with hospital teams in emergency departments and intensive care units. The staff will work to support and educate hospital teams to coordinate organ and tissue donation actively.

Providing funding to employ specialist staff is a strong element in ensuring that our government’s commitment provides real outcomes in this area. The government has also committed $17 million as part of this reform package to provide hospitals with new funding for costs associated with organ donations. Associated costs may include additional staffing and bed and infrastructure costs. The costs will obviously vary between hospitals, and it is vital that the government provide funding to reflect the increased costs associated with lifting organ donation rates.

There have been many times not just in this place but also in the media and the broader community where the need for lifting organ donation rates has been talked about. It has been the subject of public campaigns. But unfortunately very little of that talk, sometimes involving quite substantial amounts of money, has resulted in lifting our organ donation rates. By concentrating energies and efforts in the public and private hospital system, it is hoped that organ donation rates in this country will increase.

Over the next four years, the package that the government is delivering will include $13.4 million to continue national public awareness and education—an important component. This funding will increase the level of knowledge given to Australian families by providing them with clear, factual information about organ and tissue donation. This should go a long way towards alleviating some of the anxiety or the ignorance that people may have about organ and tissue donation. This funding will better help individuals and their families to understand the difference a person can make if they choose to be an organ donor.

I would like to take a moment to reflect on the families of those wonderful people who have identified themselves as donors and whose deaths have meant life for others. We very recently saw the case of an Australian who died overseas, a young boy tragically killed in Greece, whose family took the decision to donate his organs to someone there who was in desperate need. That was an enormous credit to that family who had lost their son in very, very tragic circumstances.

As a government we recognise that, although around 90 per cent of Australians support organ donation, many are not registered as an organ donor and their families are not aware of their position, as was the case in my own family. Ninety per cent of people support organ donation, yet, last year alone, Australians met only a third of the demand for organ transplants.

Our government aims to further meet the demand for life-saving and life-transforming transplants by working with this high level of community support. I do understand that some choices to not donate organs are due to religious or cultural reasons, and we should respect those, but the great majority are not. This bill does not change how Australians give consent or objection to organ donation. All Australians have the right to object to becoming an organ or tissue donor. Instead, this bill will provide the appropriate resources to ensure that every Australian knows the benefits of organ donation, forms a considered opinion about organ donation and is able to easily access and consent to being on the donor register.

It really makes you think about what the impediments are and how they can be overcome. Funding for public awareness and education will help combat these problems. It also makes you think about the thousands of people who are waiting for an organ and what it would mean not only to them but to their loved ones were they able to get those organs. Some time ago I visited the dialysis unit at my local hospital. It is a really telling experience to see people of all ages, but particularly young people, whose entire lives revolve around their need to be close to a dialysis machine, and what a difference it would make to them and their families were they able to receive an organ donation.

When someone loses a loved one it is incredibly traumatic and it is a terrible experience, particularly if that loved one has lost their life in an accident or otherwise unexpectedly. The grief can be numbing and make ordinary decisions very difficult. When it comes to making profound decisions, it can seem almost impossible. Whilst organ donation may provide some relief for families in knowing that their loved one’s death has not completely been in vain, and may have assisted any number of people to perhaps prolong their own lives, the decision has to be made right at that very moment. It is not one that can be delayed. Many families are in extreme distress, grief and trauma and it is a very difficult decision for them to make.

The funding provided in this package will provide deceased donor families with support that is responsive to the individual needs of each family. That is a very important part of this package. The funding will provide best practice bereavement and family support resources. It is not only imperative that these potential donor families are provided with ongoing support; it is the most humane thing to do in these circumstances. I commend the allocation of $1.9 million to provide support for families of deceased donors.

The introduction of this bill is an example of how the Rudd government listened to the ideas of our nation’s brightest during the 2020 Summit. The Rudd government is determined to tackle this head-on. We are committed to reforming our nation’s health system by addressing critical problem areas. I am pleased that the opposition is showing such strong support for this bill. The bill and subsequently our $151.1 million reform package goes beyond party politics. It is an initiative that all members of the House are supporting. It is an initiative that we, as federal members, should publicise in our electorates across the nation. Our society is ageing, and we can no longer ignore the reality that we need as many people as possible to consider organ and tissue donation.

The bill is about improving the health of Australians. The bill is about improving the quality of life of Australians. The bill is about providing the opportunity for Australians to make the ultimate sacrifice—that of donating their organs and tissues when they die. Many of us do not wish to contemplate death; however, it is a reality of our lives. Organ donation rates across Australia absolutely need to be lifted. Even after death, many of us have the opportunity to provide better health or even life to our fellow Australians. There are too many people who are waiting for a second chance at life and too many people who are being buried without having known the options of being able to provide a second chance at life.

The gift of organ donation is something that will live on long past our own deaths. I hope this debate will reignite discussion between individuals and their families, and I have no doubt that most families in my electorate of Ballarat will get behind this initiative. I am proud to be part of a government that is delivering such a worthwhile package. I commend the bill to the House.

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