Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Type 1 diabetes can happen to anyone. Triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, it cannot be prevented and it does not have a cure. Diagnosis has a profound impact on the person and their loved ones. Unlike many other medical conditions, people with type 1 diabetes manage their medication themselves, injecting or pumping insulin into their bodies every day to regulate their blood glucose levels in order to stay alive.

I recently met, in my electorate, with Dr Debbie Smith and Ms Kari Musick of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The foundation aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with type 1 diabetes. Debbie and Kari were open, candid and generous in sharing their extensive knowledge and experience with me. They expressed their appreciation of all that the federal government has done—and I note this has been done with bipartisan support—to support those who have type 1 diabetes. This includes free access to the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Initiative for children under 21, concession status individuals and pregnant women. However, they also highlighted to me that access to life-saving and life-changing technologies that measure blood glucose and deliver insulin in response to need is inconsistent and incomplete in Australia and becomes more difficult for many juveniles after they reach adulthood.

The reality is that there's a significant financial burden for people living with type 1 diabetes, their carers and the broader Australian economy. Type 1 diabetes costs the economy a total of $2.9 billion annually through a range of direct and indirect costs. Direct costs resulting from providing health care, formal care, income support and welfare payments are estimated at $1 billion annually. The mental wellbeing of people affected by type 1 diabetes comprises part of the indirect costs of the condition, which is estimated as being a $1.9 billion cost to the economy. This is because people with type 1 diabetes are five times more likely to experience depression and 1.8 times more likely to experience anxiety than the general population. Of people with type 1 diabetes, 87 per cent describe their quality of life as negative. Parents and carers also present with higher rates of stress and mental illness.

The year 2021 marks a century since the discovery of insulin—a discovery which has undoubtedly been a lifesaver for those suffering from type 1 diabetes. However, there are still significant, and often unseen, challenges for people with type 1 diabetes, and it is clear that ongoing support from the government and providing access for all to life-changing diabetes technologies is the key to reducing burdens and improving wellbeing.

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