In Australia blood donations are managed by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, which is responsible for ensuring the safety of the blood supply for transfusions and other medical treatments.

To minimise the risk of transmitting HIV and other blood-borne viruses via the blood supply, the Blood Service has policies restricting donations from people who are considered to be in high-risk groups. These are called donation deferral policies.

The Blood Service uses a questionnaire to screen people seeking to donate blood. To screen for blood-borne virus transmission risk, potential donors must answer yes or no to questions about male to male sexual activity, along with questions about other activities such as tattooing and body piercing.  Potential donors must sign a declaration that they have answered the questions honestly and to the best of their knowledge.

Anyone who has engaged in male to male sex is currently deferred from blood donation for a period of twelve months following their last male to male sex. This is because gay men and other men who have sex with men continue to make up the majority of people diagnosed with HIV in Australia.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service deferral policies affecting men who have sex with men are currently under review.