Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is timely that I have the call for this adjournment debate this evening, because this morning in Parliament House the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group joined with Diabetes Australia and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to launch a new research paper by the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. Associate Professor Jonathan Shaw, who was responsible for the research in this report entitled Diabetes: the silent pandemic and its impact on Australia, outlined for senators, members and guests the dimensions of the challenge facing Australia in managing the diabetes pandemic.

On best estimates, about one million Australians have diabetes. Another half a million are estimated to have diabetes but remain undiagnosed. Another 100,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in Australia. On current trends, we can expect that number will grow to three million Australians with diabetes by 2025. The cost to the healthcare system is now around $6 billion annually, therefore we can expect a sharp escalation in costs to around $18 billion by 2025. The cost to individuals and their families goes beyond economic considerations as diabetes can have a devastating impact on a person's quality of life as the disease takes its malevolent course. As the report highlights:

Diabetes mellitus currently represents one of the most challenging public health problems of the 21st century. There are over 1.5 million Australians with diabetes, including those who are undiagnosed. This results in substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly from cardiovascular complications, eye and kidney diseases and limb amputations.

This is why the United Nations passed resolution 61/225 in January 2007. Amongst other things, this resolution designated 14 November as World Diabetes Day to highlight the challenge posed by diabetes and called on member states to observe this day to raise public awareness of diabetes and encouraged member states to develop national policies for the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes.

In 1997, the federal government declared diabetes a national health priority. Along with state governments, it committed to supporting programs to monitor and improve diabetes prevention, detection and management. Notwithstanding the best intentions, the Baker IDI research shows that diabetes prevalence is still on the rise and that more needs to be done. I would like to acknowledge the excellent work of the Director and Chief Executive Officer of IDI Baker, Professor Garry Jennings AM, and of Associate Professor Shaw. This is indeed an outstanding document that they have produced. It provides evidence-based research on which to base effective policies and I hope that it will inform both the government and the coalition in that respect.

This research has been carried out in partnership with Diabetes Australia, whose CEO is Lewis Kaplan, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which is headed up by Mr Mark Wilson. We are no strangers to the work that the foundation does in this place with the biannual Kids in the House program. Both of these organisations are tireless and effective advocates for people with diabetes in Australia. They have a very important role to play as peak consumer organisations.

See this speech in context