MAITLAND BLOOD DONATIONS

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads) — On June 14 each year we celebrate World Blood Donor Day. The event serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. In Australia, 1 in 3 people will rely on blood and/or plasma donation in their lifetime for treatment of a range of conditions, such as cancer, immune conditions, support of trauma events, surgeries and neo-natal requirements. In the Maitland electorate, we currently have 1,905 active donors who have changed the life of someone they will never meet by giving blood or plasma, and for this I am incredibly grateful. Based on the percentage of the eligible population who currently donate, Maitland Donor Centre currently ranks 4 out of 23 donor centres in New South Wales. As we know a blood service that gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity is a key component of an effective health system. Thank you so much to all in my community who generously donate and provide life-giving blood, plasma, transplantation, and biological products for world- leading health outcomes.