Human Tissue and Transplant Act 1982 legislation amendment

In 2022, the Human Tissue and Transplant Act 1982 (external site) (the Act) was amended to provide a comprehensive and clear framework to regulate the sale and supply of human tissue products in WA.

These important changes to tissue trading provisions will come into effect from 19 February 2024. The changes support Western Australian patients to access human tissue products, which are increasingly available through advances in medicine and technology. These tissue products are essential in the practice of modern medicine.

Regulations (external site) pertaining to the amendments will also take effect from 19 February 2024.

Key changes to the legislation aim to:

provide a clear framework to regulate the sale and supply of human tissue products in WA, aligning with existing National and State regulatory processes where practical to reduce the regulatory burden for industry and government
allow trained retrieval technicians, when approved by the Minister for Health, to remove certain tissues donated after the death of a person without the presence of a medical practitioner (whole organs will still be removed by a medical practitioner for transplantation)
support the sustainable supply of donated breast milk for babies born prematurely.