Unite 4 life organ donation: NSW may consider tick box on driver’s licence as SA leads nation

South Australia's driver's licence tick box has helped achieve the nation's highest organ donor rate, prompting NSW to consider a move on its own system.

New South Wales may consider returning a tick box for organ donation to its drivers’ licences like the South Australian system after scrapping the option in 2012.

The eastern state dropped the donor tick box when NSW was listed as having the largest number of registered donors in Australia, according to an Increasing Organ Donation government plan at the time.

This week a NSW government spokesperson claimed the move had “overwhelming support at the time from community and stakeholders including Transplant Australia”.

But “we’re always open to looking at measures that increase lifesaving donations,” the spokesperson said about reinstating the option.

NSW has 41 per cent of its population on the organ donor register compared to SA’s national leading 74 per cent.

SA is also the only state or territory where drivers can tick a box opting for organ donation when they buy a learners permit or new driver’s licence.

Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority data in 2024 showed South Australians were also among the most likely in the nation to donate organs.

In 2024, SA donors were 23.4 per million population compared to 16.5 per million in New South Wales, only Tasmania was higher with 43.5 per million.

The activity report also told how eight in 10 families agreed to donate organs of a loved one if their family member was registered as a donor, compared to four in 10 families when they were unsure.

Gill Klemich and Emma Stevens are drawing support for organ donations. Picture Mark Brake

Shadow Health Minister Ashton Hurn supported efforts to increase the rate of organ donation nationally saying the Opposition was “proud that South Australia is leading the way”.

“We encourage all other states to look to South Australia and do their bit to increase organ donation across the board so that we can save as many lives as possible,” she said.

There were around 1,800 people on the national organ transplant waitlist in 2024 and another 14,000 on dialysis, according to authority data.

While South Australians proved top donors, it was difficult to know where organs ended up.

Kidneys were the only donated organs where data tracked the state of origin and the state where the organ was received with an SA Health spokesperson saying this was the only transplant operation that could happen in almost every state and an algorithm ensured donations and received organs was balanced.

Many organ transplants were not conducted in every state, South Australia for example does not have facilities for heart and lung transplants.

“So a heart donated in SA might be sent to NSW, but it might by chance end up with a South Australian patient who has gone there for the transplant,” an SA Health spokesperson said.

“No data sets are kept on organ point of origin versus recipient point of origin.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas said he would be “writing to Premiers around the country urging them to examine the evidence”.

“It is clear that SA’s system of registering as an organ donor through your driver’s license makes a real difference in boosting numbers,” he said.

“74 per cent of eligible South Australians have registered their wish to become an organ donor... If we can lift those numbers across the board as a nation, we should.”

To donate or enquire, please visit: www.donatelife.gov.au

Originally published as Unite 4 life organ donation: NSW may consider tick box on driver’s licence as SA leads nation