Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will announce it today as part of a $150 million drive to boost Australia's poor rate of organ donations, which is among the worst in the developed world.

Experienced intensive-care doctor Andrew Turner will be appointed as the state medical director for organ and tissue donation, based at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

His role will be to support and educate organ-donor families and to link Tasmania with the new national Donate Life Network.

As well, he will help develop the state's first organ and tissue donation agency.

Until now, clinicians from Victoria have had to fly to Tasmania to assess potential donor patients and recipients have had to travel to Hobart for transplant surgery.

Australian Organ and Tissue Authority national medical director Gerry O'Callaghan said it was hoped that within two years those functions could be fulfilled by the Tasmanian donation agency.

"Andrew will be assisted in this by Rob Thornton, who is a very experienced nurse based at the RHH, and there will be two part-time positions in Launceston and Burnie that are in the process of recruitment," Dr O'Callaghan said.

"They will provide expertise to the state and their clinical colleagues in hospitals to provide support to families."

Such support will include thanksgiving services in which the donor and recipient families are brought together.

"That is very important for families, they tell me they value the opportunity to celebrate the loved one who made such a tremendous gift," Dr O'Callaghan said.

Tasmania's donor rate is 16 per million, which is significantly better than the national rate of 12 donors per million.

The state will receive $276,000 this financial year to begin the project.

Mr Rudd yesterday encouraged families to talk about organ donation so they knew about each other's wishes.

"Family consent is always sought before organ donation can proceed," he said.

"Although there is widespread public support [90 per cent] for organ donation, Australia's family consent rate is just 56 per cent."

For more information, log on to www.donatelife.gov.au