Page 1300 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 11 April 2018

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video

(c) discrimination remains for gay men in relation to blood donation restrictions. In order to donate blood, men who have sex with men are required to remain abstinent for a 12 month deferral period, regardless of their individual risk and including those in low-risk monogamous relationships;

(d) all blood donations in Australia and other developed nations, regardless of the sexuality of the donor, are already automatically tested for HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases; and

(e) the recommendation to reduce the deferral period from 12 months to six months in the 2012 Review of Australian Blood Donor Deferrals relating to Sexual Activity, conducted by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, was rejected by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA);

(2) also notes that:

(a) numerous medical advances, and the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) which was placed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme on 1 April 2018, and public awareness initiatives have significantly increased testing rates of HIV/AIDS;

(b) the ACT PrEP trial funded in the 2016-17 Budget is underway, to provide access to sexual health and blood borne virus vaccination, testing and treatment for vulnerable and priority populations in the ACT, with 315 participants at the start of March 2018;

(c) the window period between contraction and detection of HIV/AIDS has been dramatically reduced to an estimated 22 days, according to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, aided by rapid testing for HIV/AIDS;

(d) multiple countries have now significantly reduced or eliminated mandatory deferral periods for gay blood donors, including the United Kingdom, which reduced its deferral period from 12 months to three months in November 2017; and

(e) blood plasma can be kept for up to 12 months and therefore can be tested and placed in quarantine until the detection period has passed. France and Israel have therefore eliminated all deferral periods for plasma-only donations for gay men who have been in a monogamous relationship for the previous four months;

(3) further notes that the ACT Government has, along with the Victorian Government, raised this issue in the Council of Australian Governments’ Health Council, and another Review of Australian Blood Donor Deferrals relating to Sexual Activity by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service will be undertaken; and

(4) calls on the ACT Government to write, on behalf of the Assembly, calling on the TGA and Federal Minister for Health to:

(a) consider a reduction of the deferral period for non-plasma blood donations to three months, in line with the recent policy of the United Kingdom;

(b) consider the elimination of all deferral periods for plasma-only donations, in line with the policy of France and Israel;

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video