THE HON. GREG HUNT MP
Federal Member for Flinders
Minister for Health and Aged Care
THE HON. DAVID GILLESPIE MP
Minister for Regional Health
Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
18th February 2022
Almost 2,500 Mornington Peninsula Locals Will Pass-on The Gift of Life
A record breaking 350,000 new organ donors were registered across Australia in 2021, with the Mornington Peninsula almost doubling its number of locals registered.
Minister responsible for the Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA), Dr David Gillespie released the 2021 Australian Donation and Transplantation Activity Report, confirming that despite a further drop in donation and transplantation rates last year, public support for donation is increasing.
| Region | Number of Reg. Donors | % Increase since 2020 |
| Australia | 349,947 | 87% Increase |
| Mornington Peninsula | 2,482 | 92% Increase |
Federal Member for Flinders, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, thanked the Peninsula’s locals for choosing to pass-on the gift of life to others through organ donation.
“Donating organs passes on the gift of life and that’s what these Australian’s have selflessly signed up for in the toughest of times, to one day pass on this precious gift,” Minister Hunt said.
“Over 1,100 Australian lives were saved in 2021 through an organ transplant, due to the generosity of over 420 organ donors and their families.”
“I thank and acknowledge all donors and their families who say “yes” to organ donation, as well as our highly skilled medical workforce of nurses and doctors that work together to give the gift of life to others.”
“Organ donation can pass-on years to people lives and all it takes is a single minute to sign up at donatelife.gov.au”
While record-breaking new registrations are a step in the right direction, the strain that COVID-19 has put on the Australian healthcare system continues to be felt.
There was a nine per cent decrease in the number of organ donors and a seven per cent decrease in the number of people who received a transplant during 2021, compared to 2020.
Overall, this equates to a 25 per cent drop in donation and transplantation activity from pre-COVID levels seen in 2019 and is consistent with the experience of comparable countries like the UK and Canada.
There were 200 people in Australia who received a kidney from a living donor in 2021, more than 2,400 people with restored eyesight through a corneal transplant, and over 10,000 people who received tissue (e.g. musculoskeletal, heart, skin) transplants – all thanks to the life-changing gift of donation.
There are around 1,850 Australians who are waitlisted for an organ transplant and an additional 13,000 people on dialysis – some who may need a kidney transplant one day.
Data shows that nine out of ten families consent to donation if their loved one is registered, but this drops to four out of ten if they don’t know what they would have wanted.
Registering to be an organ and tissue donor is easy. You just need your phone, Medicare card and one minute. Head to donatelife.gov.au or you can join through the Express Plus Medicare app when you download your COVID-19 vaccination certificate. The report is available at the above link.
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