Australia's blood bank is facing a critical shortage despite a surge of donations following last year's Bondi Beach massacre, when 7,810 people gave blood within 24 hours. The challenge for Lifeblood, the Red Cross arm managing donations, is convincing those one-time donors to return. Australia needs 100,000 new donors annually, yet the country has more recreational beekeepers than people who have donated three times or more.

The plasma shortage is particularly acute. Australia supplies only 38 per cent of its own plasma needs and spends about A$600mn a year importing it—more than double the amount spent a decade ago. A New South Wales report warns imports could rise to 66 per cent by 2030, leaving Australian taxpayers with an even larger bill. The US, where donors can earn up to $70 per donation, supplies about 70 per cent of the world's plasma.

Australia has avoided paid donations since the "tainted blood" scandal of the 1970s-1990s, when hundreds contracted hepatitis C and HIV from transfusions. Instead, Lifeblood is testing creative approaches, including a Metallica tie-up that attracted 2,000 new donors with limited-edition T-shirts. Workplace donation drives, exemplified by Mastercard Australia's 160 donations in a year, are emerging as a promising strategy to recruit younger, socially conscious donors.