Blood Donation

I love giving gifts. Last month I chose to give the gift of life by making a blood donation. Statistics show that one in three of us will need blood or blood products in her of his lifetime. Nationally, we require more than 25,000 donations every week. At least 9 million Australians are currently eligible to make a donation, but only three per cent of the population does so each year.

In the Assembly today, I took the opportunity to encourage more Canberrans to consider donating. We have a fixed donor centre in Garran, a mobile blood van that travels around the city on a three-month rotation, and the new Civic Plasma Donor Centre in Mort Street.

I am grateful for the role of the Australian Red Cross in securing an adequate blood supply, and I am grateful to all the eligible women and men who take the time to give the gift of life. Together we can let people know that their lives are worth saving.

Click on the arrow button to read my speech.