Ted O’Brien MP is encouraging Fairfax residents to register to be an organ and tissue donor during DonateLife Week 2018, Sunday 29 July to Sunday 5 August.
“The majority of Australians support organ and tissue donation. Now we’re asking them to make that support count by registering to be a donor at donatelife.gov.au,” said Mr O’Brien.
The Australian Organ Donor Register is the national register and it’s important to use this, as information about your registration leaves your family in no doubt of your decision to be a donor, should the situation arise.
“Registration is what counts. We know that donation comes at an intensely emotional time for families. In Australia, 90 per cent of families consent to donation when their loved one is a registered donor. When they are unsure, only 40 per cent of families consent. Put simply, more Australian lives could be saved if more people registered to be a donor,” said Mr O’Brien.
“Joining the Donor Register online is easy and takes less than a minute. Once you’ve registered we encourage you to discuss this with your family so they know you are a registered donor,” said Mr O’Brien.
“Currently 1,400 Australians are waitlisted for a transplant and more than 11,000 people are on dialysis of whom many would benefit form a kidney transplant,” said Mr O’Brien.
DonateLife Week is Australia’s national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation and is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority.