Organ and tissue donation for health professionals

In South Australia, the Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1983 provides the legislative framework for organ and tissue donation, while DonateLife SA coordinates organ and tissue donor activities. The Designated Officers program connects the legislative requirements with the clinical aspects of organ and tissue donation.

Organ and tissue donation

The DonateLife national website contains a large amount of material for health professionals working in the organ donation sector, including information on professional training, professional statements on brain death and circulatory death determination; and best practice, clinical and ethical guidelines.

DonateLife SA also coordinates an End of Life Follow-up Service to assist grieving families.  Resources related to this service, including translated resources for families can be found here.

Contact DonateLife SA for more information on organ and tissue donation in South Australia.

For information on biobanking, please refer to the Human Research Biobanks and Associated Data page.

Corneal tissue donation

The Eye Bank of South Australia is located within Flinders Medical Centre. For more information on the Eye Bank and the donation and transplantation of corneal tissue, please refer to the Flinders Medical Centre website (for service information) and the Eye Bank Association of Australia and New Zealand (for general information).

Sharing of Donor Stories - proposed changes to the SA Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1983

Changes to the Act that aim to give legal clarity to families who wish to share their deceased loved one's donor story, particularly for the purposes of remembrance, commemoration or awareness raising have now been passed by Parliament. These changes will take effect once the Bill receives assent from the Governor, expected towards mid 2025.  Background information and a consultation summary report of these changes are still available on the YourSAy website.

The Australian Government has also announced an intention to conduct a broader review of human tissue laws with a view to harmonising them across the nation, which will incorporate a review of the SA Act. Further information on this work is available on the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care website.

For more information on the legislative framework for the organ and tissue sector please refer to our page on the Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1983.

Designated Officers Program

The Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1983 requires written authorisation by a Designated Officer before proceeding with the removal of organs/tissues for transplantation or for other therapeutic, medical or scientific purposes, hospital post-mortem or whole body donation.