From July 14, 2025, sexually active gay and bisexual men in Australia will be able to donate plasma, with full blood and platelet donations allowed from 2026.
This change will allow an estimated 600,000 more Australians to help save lives.
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On Wednesday afternoon’s episode of The Briefing, we sat down with Member for Sydney MP Alex Greenwich and blood donation advocate Kate Fisher from Milkshakes for Marleigh to unpack these new changes.
“As a sexually active gay man, I would see the ads, encouraging you to donate blood, but then you’re not allowed to,” Greenwich said.
“It is a massive relief that that has been lifted. It removed discrimination from gay and bisexual men. But it has also, importantly, allowed us with the opportunity to literally save lives and to support those who need the blood donations.”
Fisher, whose daughter Marleigh depends on plasma infusions to survive an autoimmune condition, said the change is deeply personal.
“Marleigh has had six bonus birthdays thanks to Australian donors,” she said.
“When she found out our gay friends couldn’t donate for her, she was horrified. She said, ‘Don’t they test all the blood anyway?’”
The changes are expected to boost plasma supply by nearly 100,000 donations a year.
Lifeblood has confirmed rigorous testing will continue for all donations.
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