Unite 4 Life Organ Donation: SA leads nation on organ donation registration and it’s time other states follow suit

One state is punching well above its weight when it comes to organ donation registrations and it’s time for the rest of Australia to follow its life saving lead.

• For Jack and Charlie: Tragedies inspire a legacy

Premier Peter Malinauskas has called on every other state and territory to join South Australia in saving lives by encouraging more people to sign up as organ donors.

SA is currently the only state or territory in Australia that allows people to opt in as a donor when they apply for a learner’s permit or renew a driver’s licence, with Mr Malinauskas backing The Advertiser’s Unite 4 Life campaign.

It’s as simple as ticking a box beside the ID photo saying “organ donor”.

SA has the highest percentage of eligible population opted in to organ donation compared to the rest of the country, with 74 per cent registered.

Tasmania has the second highest with 49 per cent, and NSW the third with 41 per cent. Victoria has the lowest number of registered organ donors, with just 23 per cent.

Mr Malinauskas said SA “leads the nation” in organ donation registration, and that was in “no small part” due to the state’s “unique” driver’s licence opportunity.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas. Picture: Kelly Barnes

He said more than half of all 16- and 17-year-old organ donors across the nation are from SA.

“But we need more. Many more,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“I encourage every other state and territory to follow our lead. I encourage each of us to have a conversation with your family about your wishes.

“One organ donor can save the lives of up to seven people – and improve the lives of even more through eye and tissue donation.”

Charlie Stevens died in November 2023 after he was struck by a car. Picture: Supplied

Jack Klemich died suddenly from meningococcal B and saved six lives. Picture: Supplied

Jack Klemich and Charlie Stevens were both 18 when they died. The South Australians were both signed up as organ donors.

In their darkest hours, both their mothers Gill Klemich and Emma Stevens, with the support of their families, chose to donate their son’s organs so others could live on.

Four in five Australians say they support organ donation, says DonateLife SA clinical manager Amanda Stewart, “but only one in three are actually registered”.

Ms Stewart said this created a unique opportunity for South Australians that may be ticking the box to ask important questions about organ donation.

“SA is the only state that provides the opportunity for someone to outline their intent to be an organ or tissue donor,” she said.

“When we speak with families who have lost someone, when they have to make that decision, it helps to know that their loved ones have made that decision beforehand.

“I think any opportunity that prompts a conversation about organ donation would be a good thing, because we know that around 8 in 10 families say yes to donation when their loved one is registered.”

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the territory’s online licence renewal system provided a “direct link” to the Australian Organ Donor Register, but SA’s initiative was a “practical example” of how to “increase registrations and raise awareness”

“Given the success of the South Australian initiative, we will consider its implementation when planning future upgrades to the ACT’s licensing system,” Mr Barr said.

Tasmanian Health Minister Jacquie Petrusma said everyone was encouraged to become a donor and “be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life”.

“We would like to see these numbers grow, and are happy to consider ideas that would lead to saving more lives,” Ms Petrusma said.

In a bid to increase donors, Queenslanders were prompted for the first time to register when renewing their licence or vehicle registration in July last year with 640 people signing up in week one.

WA removed the option to tick a box on when applying for or renewing a licence or registration in 2004 instead directing people to DonateLife.

A government spokesperson said the state had recently adopted including a QR code with the forms which had “contributed to a 50 per cent increase in organ donor registrations”.

A Victorian government spokesperson said an inquiry into increasing the number of registered organ and tissue donors was currently in development.

The NT has never conducted organ donor registrations when applying for a driver’s license, with Territorians directed to sign up via DonateLife or Medicare.

A NSW Government spokesperson said a decision was made in 2012 to remove the option of becoming an organ donor when applying for a learner’s permit or renewing a driver’s licence.

“The rules changed in NSW in 2012 due to overwhelming support at the time from community and stakeholders, including Transplant Australia,” the spokesperson said.

“We’re always open to looking at measures that increase life saving donations.”

Originally published as Unite 4 Life Organ Donation: SA leads nation on organ donation registration and it’s time other states follow suit