Improving organ donations in NSW

Today was a very special day. NSW Parliament passed my Human Tissue Amendment (Ante mortem Interventions) Bill 2023.

This means more lives will be saved through organ donation than ever before.

I was so pleased that my bill received multipartisan support, with both the government, opposition and cross bench voting in favour of it. This was a wonderful example of the Parliament working together for the benefit of our state.

This bill means that, with appropriate consents and safeguards, doctors across New South Wales will soon be able to administer simple ante-mortem interventions such as blood thinners prior to organ donors’ deaths to determine, maintain or improve the viability of tissue and organs for donation.

Currently there are around 1800 Australians on the waitlist for an organ transplant, the passing of my bill means that there will be more healthy organs available to those in desperate need.

It’s important to note that there are strict regulations surrounding what ante-mortem interventions can be used, and that the ante-mortem interventions must not in any way hasten the death or cause more than minimal harm or undue risk to potential organ donors.

I am very grateful for the assistance and support of NSW Health Minister Ryan Park for Keira and his team in making this happen. I am also grateful to all those who championed this reform including the wonderful clinicians at St Vincent Hospital Sydney and all my parliamentary colleagues who supported this bill including Shadow Minister for Health Matt Kean MP and Greens spokesperson for Health Dr Amanda Cohn.