Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King today appointed Mr David Koch as the new chair of the Advisory Council to the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority.

Ms King also appointed seven new members to the 14-member council for three-year terms.

"David Koch has been a passionate advocate for organ and tissue donation for many years. He has served as a member of the Advisory Council for the past three and a half years and contributed his insight to key projects including the DonateLife campaign" Ms King said.

"With the new members, the Advisory Council will offer advice to the Authority in areas as diverse as clinical expertise in organ or tissue donation and transplantation, experience as a donor family, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's health, business, management, finance, health consumer issues, law, ethics, and public administration."

The new appointees are Ms Francine Eades, Mr David O'Leary, Ms Francesa Rourke, Mr Jon Seccull, Mr Chris Thomas, Dr Helen Watchirs OAM and Ms Anne Wilson.

In addition to Mr Koch, members reappointed to the Advisory Council are Ms Anne Cahill Lambert AM, Professor Jeremy Chapman OAM, Professor Geoff Dobb, Dr Marisa Herson, Professor John Horvath AO and Ms Rachael Martin.

"The new Advisory Council has the appropriate complement of experience to advise the Authority on how best to achieve our national targets over the next three years" said Ms King.

"The mid-point implementation review contained a number of recommendations on how the Advisory Council could be of best value to the CEO and the new Council addresses these recommendations."

Ms King thanked the Advisory Council's outgoing chair, Mr Sam Chisholm, and members Dr David Boadle, Professor Don Chalmers, Dr Anthony Cross, Dr Gerry O'Callaghan, Associate Professor Dianne Stephens OAM and Professor Russell Strong AC for the breadth of skills and experience they brought to the council, as well as for their invaluable advice on organ and tissue donation for transplantation throughout the Advisory Council's inaugural term.

"During their time with the council, the numbers of deceased organ donors has increased 36 per cent from 247 donors in 2009, the year before full implementation of the reforms began, to 337 donors at the end of 2011," Ms King said.

Details of those appointed follow

APPOINTMENT DETAILS: