This week is DonateLife week and provides us with a great chance to have a conversation with our loved ones about organ and tissue donation. 

This is the most important step in ensuring that your wishes are followed in the unfortunate event that organ or tissue donation becomes a possibility.

As well as ensuring that your family is aware of your decision I encourage all Australians to make their registration official with the Australian Organ Donor Register.

It is possible that one organ and tissue donor can transform the lives of 10 or more people. Having the conversation about organ donation can save lives.

In Australia the family members of the donor are asked to confirm any donation decision. This is why having a serious conversation about organ donation with family and close friends is so important.

Less than one per cent of all hospital deaths occur in the specific circumstances where a person can be considered for organ donation. Every donor makes a difference and I encourage everyone to take part. You never know when someone close to you might be in need of an organ or tissue donation.

For more information on DonateLife week visit www.donatelife.gov.au.

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Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb has released the details of Australia’s free trade agreement with South Korea.

The Agreement was reached after negotiations last December and will be formally signed in the next four months. The Agreement will then be implemented over a period of some years. Once this occurs tariffs on 99.8 per cent of our exports will be eliminated.

As our third-largest export market this agreement is of great benefit for Australian exporters and especially our primary producers.

Previously we have seen prohibitive tariffs of up to 550 per cent on agricultural products such as beef, sugar, dairy, wheat, wine, horticulture and seafood.

As part of the Agreement, South Korea will eliminate its 40 per cent tariff on beef products progressively over the next 15 years. This will put on us on a level playing field with other countries and trade competitors like the USA. This is just one example of how Australia will benefit from the Agreement.

Taking advantage of the opportunities available to our north is vital to Australia’s future, and Agreements like these are essential in removing barriers that currently exist in Australia’s export markets.