Australia has a world class organ and tissue donation program that’s backed by strong public support, and hundreds of donors and families who agree to donation each year.
But despite four in five Australians saying they support organ donation in principle, just one in three have taken the step to actually register.
That gap often comes down to something deceptively small, whether it be the one minute it takes to register online, or a conversation many families never get around to having, according to CEO of DonateLife, Lucinda Barry AM.
The consequences of this gap are very real, with around 2,000 Australians currently on a transplant waitlist who are critically ill and urgently need a transplant.
Closing the gap could allow for many more life-saving transplants every year.
“We’ve got as good a system as anywhere in the world,” Lucinda Barry tells Women’s Agenda.
“But ultimately, increasing donation rates comes down to whether people have registered and had the conversation with their family.”
A system that’s saving more lives
Since the DonateLife program was established in 2009, organ donation in Australia has more than doubled.
In 2025, there were 557 deceased organ donors compared to around 200 annually before the program began.
“About 20,000 people have received a life‑changing transplant under the program, which is amazing,” Barry says, “and there’s thousands more that have got eye and tissue donations as well.”
Australia’s organ donation program is clinically delivered through specialist teams of highly-trained doctors and nurses embedded in around 95 hospitals across the country.
However, only around two per cent of people die in circumstances where organ donation is possible, typically that’s in a hospital, on a ventilator, and without medical contraindications.
“One organ donor has the chance to save up to seven lives through organ donation, as well as many more through giving the gift of sight and tissue,” Barry says.
The key role women play
It’s hard to imagine a more emotional moment than when you’re told a family member isn’t going to survive. Being asked to make a decision about organ donation for your loved one, in such an emotional time, is overwhelming.
It’s a key reason that DonateLife is urging Australians to register as organ donors. It’s a process that takes just one minute but gives your loved ones certainty about what you want at the end of your life. can save your loved ones from having to guess what you’d want.
“Why do we want people to register? Because if somebody is registered, more than eight in 10 families say yes to donation in the hospital because they know what the person wanted,” Barry says.
“Registration is the strongest link to a family saying yes in the hospital.”
And we also know that the load of decision-making about healthcare and end-of-life in families often falls on the shoulders of women.
According to DonateLife, there are typically slightly more males than females who become organ donors, and generally in those situations, it is more common for the next-of-kin to be a female partner, mother, sister or daughter.
“We have research that tells us that even in the donation conversation with families, it tends to be that middle‑aged woman who is the decision-maker,” Barry confirms.
Women can also play a key role in encouraging their loved ones to register if it’s something they want to do.
The myths we need to dispel
Part of the challenge facing Australia is the handful of persistent myths that quietly circulate and end up preventing people from registering. Among the most common myths are:
“I’m too old to donate.”
This is false. There is no age limit that prevents anyone from registering. People well into their 80s have become organ donors.
“I’m not healthy enough.”
Medical specialists assess suitability at the time. Many people who assume they’re ineligible due to their health are not.
“It’s against my religion.”
All major religions in Australia have formally stated that organ donation is an act of goodwill and is permissible. In hospital settings where faith is relevant, DonateLife’s specialist nurses who support families can arrange for religious leaders to be present in the conversation.
“They won’t try as hard to save me.”
This is perhaps the most persistent myth, but it is false. Donation is never discussed, considered, or even thought about until every measure has been taken by medical staff, and survival is no longer possible.
The simple steps you can take that will make a difference
There are two simple steps you can take to make a difference in Australia: register on the Australian Organ Donor Register at donatelife.gov.au or through Medicare (it only takes one minute), and then talk to your family about your wishes.
Barry notes that for many families, the only good thing to come out of a tragic situation like the death of a loved one, is organ donation.
“There’s no greater gift that you can give at the end of your life than giving potentially up to seven people a life that they potentially wouldn’t have,” she says.
“And for many families, it’s the only good thing to come out of such a traumatic, tragic situation.”
Getting registration to 50 per cent of the eligible population, Barry says, would likely result in around 200 additional transplants a year.
For the 2000 people on the waitlist, it has the potential to make all the difference.
Find our more about organ donation and register at donatelife.gov.au.