Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last week I had the opportunity to chat with an inspirational young advocate from the McEwen community, young Tayte, one of 6,000 Australians aged under 14 living with type 1 diabetes. Tayte knows firsthand the benefits of in-depth research in making much-needed medical advances. He told me about the difference his new insulin pump has made. This little pump has saved Tayte from multiple daily injections. That's why he and his mum are working hard with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to push for better funding for medical breakthroughs. Organisations like the JDRF are critical in connecting people in our local communities in order to boost their fundraising impact and promote the importance of further research into juvenile diabetes. By continuing their hard work the JDRF can make life-changing breakthroughs in curing, preventing and treating type 1 diabetes. Thanks to their hard work they've already made groundbreaking discoveries in diabetes research, like being able to identify babies who will develop type 1 diabetes in future. This kind of early detection means early intervention, which could help thousands of people better cope with the implications of diabetes.

This side of the House recognises the importance of properly funding life-saving medical research. We first established the Insulin Pump Program to provide means-tested subsidies for young people throughout Australia to access revolutionary technology. Going into the last election Labor committed to fully fund continuous glucose monitoring devices for over 6,000 Australians. We put $80 million in funding so that we could change the lives of children and young adults with type 1 diabetes, but we didn't stop there; we also put $4 million towards expanding access to programs which provide subsidised access to insulin pumps. These CGM devices literally save lives. Unlike other devices, CGM technology gives vital early warning signs of low or high insulin levels. Tayte showed me how living with juvenile diabetes forces kids to grow up faster than they should. The kids take on challenges well beyond their years. That's why CGM technology is so important in lessening anxiety and helping kids better monitor their conditions.

While GCM devices remain unavailable under Medicare and even through private health insurance, it's important now, more than ever, to listen to kids like Tayte. We need to do better for Tayte and provide appropriate funding for life-changing diabetes research. I'm looking forward to having Tayte and his fellow JDRF spokespeople here in Canberra to lobby the government for better funding that will make a real difference to thousands of Aussie kids, who I know will benefit from the technology and the support available. If you have ever seen someone with juvenile diabetes, you will know that when they sit down to a meal they play with their little pump and get their insulin. It's amazing. The ability and the knowledge these kids have got are unreal. The only thing I won't promise Tayte is to join him in a floss dance. He showed me how it's done. Bugger that—that's not for me.

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