Don’t have an account?
Select the donation type you’d like to make
We have been working to progress gender-neutral assessments for blood and platelets donation — and they’re getting closer.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved our submission to remove gender-based sexual activity rules. We are now working with state and territory governments, which need to approve a legal change to the donor questionnaire form in each state and territory. We expect to be able to implement these changes in 2026.
Once implemented, we’ll no longer ask men if they’ve had sex with a man in the past three months, which meant a 3-month wait time since last sexual activity. Instead, everybody will be asked the same questions.
Most people — regardless of gender — who have had anal sex with the same partner for 6 months or more will be able to donate blood.
There will still be a wait time to donate blood for those who have had anal sex in the past three months with a new partner, and those having anal sex with more than one partner.
All countries, including those with gender-neutral or individual assessments in place, have a wait period for people with a new partner or multiple partners. This is because even the most advanced testing is unable to pick up the early stage of an infectious disease. Unlike in other countries, people asked to wait to donate blood will be able to donate plasma immediately in Australia.
Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do. These changes are underpinned by evidence and research that demonstrate safety.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
People taking PrEP or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may have low levels of HIV that can be missed during testing. That’s why anyone taking PrEP can’t donate blood for 12 months from their last dose.
However, they can donate plasma without a wait time, because plasma goes through a process called pathogen inactivation that eliminates the risk of HIV being passed on to a patient.
This will stay the same under gender-neutral assessments.
