Fair dinkum fellas - the Aussies want your sperm

They've stolen Phar Lap, the Finns, pavlova and Russell Crowe - now the Aussies want our sperm.

A reproductive clinic in New South Wales is advertising in New Zealand, offering an all-expenses-paid trip for healthy, keen Kiwi fellas between 18 and 40 willing to donate their sperm. So what's wrong with the Aussie gene pool?

Nothing, said Dr Scott Giltrap, programme director at Albury's Reproductive Medicine. It's just that Australia has a shortage of donors which is likely to be compounded by legislation due shortly that requires all donors to be registered.

"It may be more expensive to collect sperm from overseas but the patients would prefer us to have expensive sperm rather than no sperm at all," said Dr Giltrap.

To qualify, potential donors will have to pass stringent physical and mental assessments before heading to Australia where compulsory counselling awaits. Then they must produce a number of samples.

Dr Giltrap said advertising for donors across the ditch was not such an unusual move. "We advertise in other states of Australia and we thought why don't we extend it to New Zealand."

A brief survey of men on Auckland's Queen St yesterday revealed none of them was interested despite the offer of a free trip.

Said Kelly Wellington, 35: "You might end up having 17 children all coming to try and find you."

John Peek from Auckland's Fertility Associates said New Zealand also had a donor shortage, "but they're obviously even more desperate over in Australia".

An increase in single women and single-sex couples wanting treatment had contributed to the shortage.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY