Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

Last sitting, I was visited by 11-year-old Charlotte from Littlehampton, in Mayo, and eight-year-old Chloe from Adelaide. They are articulate advocates for research into type 1 juvenile diabetes, and they were visiting parliament as part of JDRF Australia's Kids in the House campaign. It's easy to see why Chloe and Charlotte and their families feel so passionately about this. We need a further $50 million over five years to continue the much-needed clinical research work into juvenile diabetes.

Chloe was diagnosed when she was two. Before she received the continuous-glucose-monitoring device she now wears on her arm, she pricked her tiny fingers 13,000 times. Her mother, Jenna, still cannot sleep that soundly at night, but she's instantly alerted when Chloe's sugar indicators reach dangerous levels. Chloe has not had a seizure since being fitted with the CGM, and Charlotte, who was diagnosed at eight, has always had a CGM.

The next step is research for a remote device that will eliminate the need for children like Charlotte to inject insulin. Juvenile diabetes affects not just children but the whole family. Finding a cure is the ultimate goal, and I call on this government to find that $50 million for much-needed research which will help hundreds of children around Australia.

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