Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, I present the committee's report entitled The state of diabetes mellitus in Australia in 2024 together with the minutes of proceedings.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Australia's a wealthy country that has enjoyed a gradual and persistent increase in life expectancy for many generations.

Today, however, we face a series of challenges presented by a rising tide of chronic illnesses. Foremost amongst these is diabetes mellitus. With the aim of identifying strategies that we as a nation might pursue to combat this disease, just over a year ago the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport commenced an inquiry into diabetes mellitus in Australia in all its forms, and I thank the health minister for allowing us to do this.

Across the country, approximately 1½ million people are known to live with diabetes. Even worse, there is overwhelming evidence that this number will continue to rise. The nation faces what was throughout the inquiry described as a diabetes epidemic.

In undertaking this inquiry, the committee focused on opportunities for strengthening our approach to preventing, diagnosing and treating all forms of diabetes.

The evidence gathered by the committee makes it clear that diabetes does not impact all Australians equally. Members of communities with lower socioeconomic status are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes for a whole range of factors, and we must try and turn this ship around.

Current rates of type 2 diabetes are especially alarming amongst Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander communities. Not only do these communities experience high levels of diabetes; the disease often develops at a younger age and its course is more rapid.

Having completed its inquiry, the committee formed the view that prevention should be the primary aim of diabetes management wherever possible. Public health campaigns that raise awareness of the risk of diabetes in obesity should be prioritised, and we should strive to develop a healthcare workforce with deep expertise in the prevention and management of these conditions.

We must also address the fact that the environments we live in promote unhealthy habits. We need to restrict the availability and marketing of unhealthy food and beverages, especially to children. More also needs to be done to ensure that all Australian communities have access to healthy food.

As such, while prevention is good at tackling the diabetes epidemic, the cultivation of sophisticated research ecosystem and deep national expertise in the medications and technologies that can assist in the treatment of diabetes are just as important.

There are 23 main recommendations in the report, and there are other recommendations in the body of the report.

I wish to thank the federal and state government departments and agencies, industry groups, peak bodies, think tanks, academics, health practicians, medical research organisations, pharmaceutical and health companies and members of the general public who all provided invaluable input into this inquiry.

Specifically, I'd like to thank those with lived experience of diabetes in all its forms for their evidence to the committee. Some of their evidence was deeply harrowing and very emotional, and we're very grateful for the efforts they have made. In conducting the inquiry, the committee travelled throughout Australia to hear firsthand experience, and it was very important.

I'd like to thank the committee secretariat, and I'd like to mention them all by name—Andrew Bray, Iva Glisic, Kate Morris, Clare Anderson, Kate Portus and April Stephenson—for the work they did in the inquiry.

Their dedication and commitment to the committee are fine reflections on the Australian Public Service of the highest standard, and I cannot thank them enough for all their efforts.

I'd like to thank also my fellow committee members for their participation, as all members contributed very strongly through the committee report.

I'd particularly like to thank the deputy chairs Melissa McIntosh and later Julian Leeser for their hard work, their spirit of cooperation, intelligence during the inquiry and their willingness and empathy to work with all members of the committee.

I'd like to thank my friends and colleagues David Simmons and Helen Woodward for always allowing me to call at any hour to question them and get their sage advice about critical issues in diabetes management.

I'd like to thank the health minister once again for all of his support.

I commend the report to the House.

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