Joint Statement:

Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh

Minister for Health
The Honourable Stephen Robertson

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

BIG IDEA TO INCREASE ORGAN DONATION IN QUEENSLAND

The plight of an outstanding Queenslander has put organ donation on the national agenda and Premier Anna Bligh announced today that Queensland would lead the way in examining ways to increase it.

Ms Bligh said a bipartisan Parliamentary Committee would look at the complex issue and examine the merits of an ‘opt-out’ system, the idea Janelle Colquhoun took to the recent 2020 Summit.

“Janelle’s idea became one of the big ideas to come out of the Summit and full credit to her for her role in getting this on the national agenda,” Ms Bligh said.

“Janelle is currently waiting for a transplant and her story is a familiar one to many Australians – at any given time almost 1,800 Australians are waiting for an organ transplant. As at January this year – 176 Queenslanders are waiting. But donation rates are failing to meet this demand.

“In Queensland, only 21 percent of Queenslanders who are legally able to register their consent to donate, do so.

“This is failing to meet demand and people like Janelle are suffering as a result – we need to do better,” she said.

Currently in Australia, organ and tissue donor registration is based on an ‘opt-in’ system where people have to provide express and informed agreement to donate in the event of their death.

Overseas, countries have adopted a donation system based on presumed consent, or ‘opt-out’ whereby it is assumed that an individual wishes to be a donor unless they have ‘opted-out’ by registering an objection to donation.

“I recognise there are significant legal, clinical, ethical, social and cultural issues that would need to be carefully considered, but I see merit in Australia adopting an opt-out system and Queensland is going to explore it.

“This issue doesn’t belong in the too-hard basket – we owe it to Queenslanders and Australians like Janelle to do better.

“Health Minister Stephen Robertson will lead a national debate on this issue, but we will not wait for the States and Territories to start looking at this.

“The bipartisan Parliamentary Select Committee will examine the merits of an opt-out scheme and identify other ways we could improve Queensland’s rate of donation.

Ms Bligh said Karen Struthers, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health would chair the committee.

“A new approach to organ donation in this country could save lives, and I look forward to the community debate on this issue,” she said.

Media: 3224 4500 (Premier’s office) or 3234 1191 (Health Minister’s office)

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