Released 24/07/2023
Canberrans are being encouraged to Donate a Minute, Donate a Lifetime this DonateLife Week (23-30 July 2023) and register to be organ and tissue donors.
This DonateLife Week focuses on promoting organ and tissue donation and prompting people to have a conversation with friends and families about their wishes for organ donation.
Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith, a registered organ and tissue donor, said this is not an easy conversation to have but it is an important one.
“If you are willing to be an organ donor, it is important that you are registered and have had a conversation with your family and make your wishes known.
“The likelihood of a family consenting to donation increases significantly when the donor’s intentions were made known to them. Registering online and letting your family know your wishes can make a very difficult conversation, at a very difficult time, a little easier,” said Minister Stephen-Smith.
While four out of five Australians support organ and tissue donation, only around one-third (36 per cent) are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register.
The ACT is below that national average with 27 per cent of Canberrans being registered, with an additional 4,982 new registrations recorded for the ACT last year.
“The previous three years have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with impacts to organ and tissue donation and transplantation seen across Australia and globally. Despite these challenges, Australians continue to publicly support donation.
“In the ACT, 29 lives were saved last year through the generosity of ten families who consented to their loved ones becoming an organ donor. A further nine lives were transformed through eye tissue donation.
“This DonateLife Week, I encourage the Canberra community to have that conversation with their families and register for organ donation – it could mean the world to someone else,” said Minister Stephen-Smith.
Quotes attributable to Nadia Burkolter, Agency Manager at DonateLife ACT:
“Organ donation saves lives. If you haven’t gotten around to registering your donation wishes, now more than ever is the time to do it. It will take you less than a minute but may give several Australians a lifetime.”
To acknowledge DonateLife Week, several iconic Canberra monuments will be lit up in magenta tones. The Carillon, Old Parliament House, John Gorton Building, Telstra Tower, light rail stops, the Canberra Times Fountain, Malcolm Fraser Bridge, National Museum of Australia, the ANU Shine Dome and the Royal Australian Mint will all be lit up at various points throughout the week.
There will be information stalls held across Canberra throughout the week with Action bus drivers wearing bright DonateLife caps and part of the bus fleet being partially wrapped in DonateLife Week messaging.
To register as an organ donor, visit donatelife.gov.au.
- Statement ends -
Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases