Inquiry into increasing the number of registered organ and tissue donors

Victoria has the second lowest organ and tissue donor registration rate of all states and territories, despite most Australians supporting donation. This inquiry investigates how more Victorians can be encouraged to register to become donors, as well as other issues that impact donation rates, such as sharing donation wishes with family.

Forty-nine submissions were received from a range of experts, organisations and people with lived experience of donation.

Seven days of public hearings were held, including online with people working in the organ and tissue donation sector overseas to get an understanding of what works in other countries.

The report was presented to the Legislative Assembly on 20 March 2024.

The Victorian Government should consider reintroducing the option to register for organ and tissue donation when applying for or renewing a driver’s licence, a report from the Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee has recommended.

Tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 20 March 2024, the report makes 74 findings and 41 recommendations, including to encourage more registrations through improved accessibility and awareness of the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) and better promotion of family discussion about donation.

Go to the report page to read the findings and recommendations. There is also a summary booklet, along with an interactive heatmap of AODR registration rates by Victorian local government area and a timeline of key organ and tissue donation and registration milestones.