Page 452 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
There are many people I wish to acknowledge and thank, who have made contributions in the drafting of this bill, including a number of people who are in the gallery today. Thank you to the many families who have spoken to me about this, from advocating to answering my questions and sharing their very personal stories. I acknowledge that there are families here today, including Marjorie and Michael Taylor, the mother and brother of Annette, who was the first organ donor in the ACT at 11 years old. I believe this year will mark 45 years since Marjorie fought for the donation of Annette’s kidneys in the absence of any legislation, and it means an enormous amount to have her and Michael here today.
Penny Mitchell—in many ways this is for her—has doggedly campaigned for years to have organ donation recognised on death certificates, not in the ACT but in Victoria. She collected thousands and thousands of signatures by sitting outside markets and shopping centres. Penny has done an enormous amount to raise the importance of this issue and she has been very generous with her time on what has been a difficult subject for her, particularly with the frustration of Victoria not having yet made a move on this.
Leanne Campbell shared her story at the inaugural Donor Families Australia conference last year, which drove home to me how critically important it is that we better support families. I thank the Gift of Life board, especially David O’Leary and former member Genevieve Jacobs, who were always available, helpful and encouraging as I put this proposal to them. I thank Donor Families Australia for their support and encouragement, and especially Professor Holly Northam, who is also here with us today, who absolutely crystallised the importance of the issue for me and has both guided me and been a sounding board, and received and responded to many e-mails and phone calls over quite a long period of time.
I thank Parliamentary Counsel Mary Toohey who has expertly navigated and interpreted my instructions on something that seems simple but was ultimately quite complex. Legislation is hard, and I have enormous respect for people who propose bills and especially those who draft them. Finally, I thank the Chief Minister who has been enthusiastic in his support for the proposal, which is pleasing because a good deal of it concerns his position.
I will conclude with some comments from families who have explained to me exactly what this would mean to them. One family said to me, “The donation of organs and tissue is a blend of great sadness and feelings of great hope for the recipients. The provision of a formal mechanism whereby families of donors can be comforted by the inclusion of the donation on the death certificate will add a very positive step in the grieving process.”
Marjorie said, eloquently and simply, that it is about putting history in place. Helen Day, whose son Stewart died in a motorcycle accident in Canberra in the early 2010s, said that this is so very personal, and having the option will mean a lot. Helen said:
It would show he was able to help people. It’s a personal thing and I know it may not be for everyone ... but for myself and others they would find it was helpful to have that acknowledgement.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video