Tim PALLAS (Werribee – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Trade and Investment) (10:14):

I rise to acknowledge to the house the incredible efforts of Lifeblood Red Cross in my electorate in Werribee. Last Wednesday was World Blood Donor Day, and I recently visited the Werribee Donor Centre in celebration of this important day. The centre had many people giving blood or plasma or waiting for their turn to do so. There were people of different ages and from different cultural backgrounds, truly capturing the wonderful diversity and spirit of the Werribee community.

One in three Australians will rely on blood or plasma donations throughout their lifetime for a range of conditions, such as cancer and support of traumatic events. There are 1624 active donors in the electorate of Werribee, including Steve, who is a 75-year-old local hero who has been donating blood regularly for 15 years. It is donors such as Steve who have helped save 17,151 lives in the past 12 months alone.

World Blood Donor Day seeks to acknowledge the generosity of such individuals and encourage others to also take part in this life-changing act. The Werribee Donor Centre has the capacity to welcome new donors, with 2000 appointments vacant over the month, and I encourage the community to take up the call to donate blood or plasma. I thank our donors and the wonderful employees of Lifeblood for the important work that they do.