Mr. Philip Watt:

I agree with much of the Senator's analysis. One point on which I disagree relates to the academic research on the issue.

In 2017 the British Medical Journalcarried out a systematic review of all published data worldwide to determine whether there was a positive association between opt-out legislation and higher rates of donation. In five methodologically sound studies which compared donation rates in a single country, it found that there had been an increase in donation rates following the introduction of such legislation. Welsh, Scottish and English legislators have all carried out systematic reviews to back their choices to introduce soft opt-out legislation. They have looked at the evidence in that regard. Our colleagues in the Welsh Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament have looked at the international evidence which clearly shows a positive association between soft opt-out legislation and higher donation rates.