- Australia has one of the safest blood supply systems in the world.
- You can donate whole blood every 12 weeks.
- O negative blood is universal and can be given to anyone.
- Plasma and platelet donations can be made every 2 weeks.
- Every whole blood donation can save 3 lives.
- 1 in 3 people will need blood. Only 1 in 30 gives blood.
- Australia needs over 27,000 blood donations every week.
- 470mL of blood is collected when you give whole blood.
- Within 24-48 hours of giving blood, your blood volume is completely restored.
- Giving blood only takes about an hour.
- Plasma donations can be used to make 17 different products.
- Red blood cells have a shelf life of 42 days.
- 34% of donated blood goes towards helping cancer patients.
- You can start giving blood at 16.
- The blood service has been collecting blood for over 80 years.
- Many donor centres have a courtesy bus.
- You can donate double platelets – helping twice as many people.
- Platelets have a shelf life of only 5 days.
Student resources
This section has information that is useful for students wanting to learn more about blood donation.
Blood Buddies
The online resource, Blood Buddies, complements the curriculum for Years 7 - 10 and helps them learn about the science and uses of blood. Students can visit a virtual Donor Centre and learn about the history of blood donation.
Doing a project and need our help?
We welcome the interest of students undertaking projects or assignments.
Recommended publications for your information include:
- Annual Report
- Life - donor newsletter
- Case studies: in Life newsletter or check out our video stories
- Media releases (particularly the national section if you're looking for quotes from a Blood Service spokesperson).
Uni students, for your long term benefit we don't complete your assignments. But we are happy to respond to any questions you may have which are not answered by our website. Due to our other work priorities, please allow a minimum three week turnaround for such information.