Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It seems that we are in health mode this morning. I commend the member for Richmond for her work on prostate cancer; I think it is marvellous for a member of parliament to do that. I want to talk about another health matter today, and that is the Australian Organ Donor Register. We are coming to the end of a national awareness week campaign. Organ donation is perhaps the greatest gift anyone can give another person. Australia has an urgent need for more donors willing to give the gift of life. I find it bewildering that Australians have one of the highest transplant success rates but one of the lowest donation rates in the developed world. That seems to be an irony. At the start of this year, 1,716 people were waiting for organs, but they will have a terribly long wait if history is anything to go by. Sadly, many will die waiting for the organ they need.

Last year, there were 204 deceased donors in Australia from whom 735 people received organs. So your organs can help up to three or four people. Another 246 transplants were performed on living donors. At the end of the year, more than 710,000 Australians will have registered on the organ donor list, with Queensland accounting for 21 per cent of the register. Interestingly, there are around 100,000 more women than men on the register and, of all age groups, women aged 35 to 45 lead the way in signing up. An overwhelming number of people think that registering as an organ donor is something they will do at some stage in the future. They say, ‘Yes, I’m happy to do that; I’ll do that some time.’ It is extraordinary that 4.8 million people have said they will donate their organs, but only 700,000 have got around to registering. In other words, only one person in seven has filled out the little card.

I suppose it is a challenge to all of us and to members of parliament. I am pleased to say that my whole staff have signed up—not by any urging from me. I signed up last week and I urge all of us to do that. If we as members of parliament do not show leadership on this matter, how will we encourage other people to do so? All you have to do is go into a Medicare office to sign up. Just imagine how many more people could have the gift of life if five million people had signed up. I commend the Australian Organ Donor Register. I think it is a very commendable program. (Time expired)