New approach for organ and tissue donation
In April 2008, Premier Anna Bligh announced that Queensland would look at a new approach to donor registration. The decision was inspired by an idea put forward at the Prime Minister's 2020 Summit by a fellow Queenslander, Janelle Colquhoun.
Premier Bligh established a bipartisan Parliamentary Committee to examine the 'opt-out' registration model used by many European countries, and other ways to increase the number of Queenslanders registering as donors.
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Ministerial Statement in Queensland Parliament by Premier Anna Bligh
29 April 2008
Mr Speaker,
Earlier this month I attended the Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit in Canberra and came away from it with a lot of inspiration from the good ideas that everyday Australians put forward.
But there was one in particular that resonated with me.
During the Summit, my path crossed with fellow Queenslander Janelle Colquhoun. Janelle is an extremely talented singer that I had met on a number of occasions before, but it wasn’t until I spoke to her in Canberra that I became aware she was waiting for an organ transplant.
Janelle’s 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% 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.
Mr Speaker, I have given a lot of thought to this issue and how we can do better.
Organ and tissue transplantation is an effective and well established treatment that can save lives or significantly improve quality of life.
It is a vital and often last resort treatment for many illnesses and diseases such as kidney and liver disease, cardiomyopathy, diabetes and cystic fibrosis.
And it is also an area in which Australia has one of the world’s best records in clinical outcomes.
So why should this issue stay in the too-hard basket?
Obviously in a vast state like Queensland, we face a number of geographical hurdles when it comes to facilitating organ donation.
But I believe increasing the number of Queenslanders on the donor register could make a huge difference, particularly in the lives of people like Janelle Colquhoun.
Currently in Australia, organ and tissue donor registration is based on an ‘opt-in’ system – that is, people have to provide express and informed agreement to donate in the event of their death.
When Janelle represented Queensland at the Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit, she put the idea of moving to an ‘opt-out’ system of registration.
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.
Mr Speaker, this became one of the big ideas to come out of the Summit and full credit to Janelle for her role in getting this on the national agenda.
I see merit in Australia adopting an opt-out system and Queensland is going to explore it.
I recognise there are significant legal, clinical, ethical, social and cultural issues that would need to be carefully considered, but I don’t think this is a reason not to look at it.
We owe it to the Queenslanders and Australians that continue to wait for potentially lifesaving transplants.
Mr Speaker, I have spoken to the Health Minister Stephen Robertson about Queensland leading a national debate on this issue.
But we will not wait for the States and Territories to start looking at this.
Therefore I propose to establish a bipartisan Parliamentary Select Committee to examine this important and complex issue.
The terms of reference for this committee will include examining an opt-out scheme and identifying other ways we could improve Queensland’s rate of donation.
Karen Struthers, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health has accepted my invitation to Chair this committee and the Leader of the House will detail the process of nominating and appointing members from all parties.
A new approach to organ donation in this country could save lives Mr Speaker, and I look forward to the community debate on this issue.
Last updated Friday, January 30, 2009
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