Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) investment in equitable access to disease prevention is critical to tackle the major diseases of our time such as cancer and heart disease;

(b) genetic screening provides a novel opportunity for disease prevention, especially screening for genetic risk factors for certain types of hereditary cancer and heart disease that manifest in early adulthood;

(c) identifying people with medically actionable genetic risk for certain diseases can allow at risk individuals to take steps to reduce risk or in some cases, avoid developing disease altogether;

(d) in Australia, funded testing for these genetic risk factors is only available to individuals who meet narrow criteria, usually only after a person develops symptoms of disease, and this criteria-based testing fails to identify most high-risk individuals in the population, who remain unaware of their risk and are unable to access preventive measures until it is too late;

(e) investment in prevention will save significant downstream healthcare costs, as well as saving lives and improving the health of at-risk Australians; and

(f) the costs of genetic testing have decreased considerably, and health economic modelling now suggests it would be cost-effective in the Australian health system to offer DNA screening to all adults for such genetic risk factors, as part of a population screening program;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) in August 2022, Monash University launched DNA Screen, a study funded by the Medical Research Future Fund and led by Professor Paul Lacaze and Dr Jane Tiller, which aimed to test 10,000 young adults (18 to 40 years of age) for genetic high risk of developing certain types of cancer (breast, ovarian, colorectal and others) and heart disease, that can be prevented or identified and treated early;

(b) the study was extremely popular, with almost 10,000 people registering their interest in the first 24 hours of the study launch, and over 30,000 people registering interest to date;

(c) the study has now completed testing of 10,263 young adults, finding 202 individuals at high, medically actionable risk of developing cancer or heart disease, and three in four of those high-risk people would not have qualified for reimbursed genetic testing; and

(d) in May 2024, the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs' inquiry into equitable access to diagnosis and treatment for individuals with rare and less common cancers specifically noted the potential of genetic testing for prevention and the high level of public interest and engagement in the DNA Screen study, and recommended that 'the outcomes of the study should be monitored closely, and that further investment to gauge the effectiveness and appropriateness of such screening programs should be explored further';

(3) recognises the:

(a) strain that population DNA screening could place on the current downstream risk management pathways; and

(b) need for genetics services and the health system to be prepared for population-scale DNA screening; and

(4) calls on the Government to:

(a) consider the urgent need to leverage the preventive potential of genomic testing for adults at high, medically actionable risk of developing conditions such as cancer and heart disease; and

(b) fund the next stage of DNA Screen to scale up testing for these medically actionable conditions, test the feasibility of a population-wide screening program, and develop and test methods for the delivery of downstream care and risk management at scale.

Our nation's health statistics are confronting. Our world-class health professionals are working tirelessly, yet patients still struggle to get the treatment they so desperately need. Today we are honoured to have Professor Jane Tiller, an expert in her field, with us in the gallery—welcome to the good professor.

It's time to rethink our approach to health care and to consider one that focuses on prevention and the early identification of risk factors before disease manifests. Today I wish to update the House on the potential of preventative genomic testing in reducing disease burdens across the entire country—a shift from a reactive to a proactive form of health care. Genomic testing analyses a person's DNA in order to identify genetic predispositions to certain diseases. For high-risk individuals and their families, having this information early can be lifesaving. It would allow the time to take preventative actions—for instance, regular monitoring or early treatment or, in some cases, even preventative surgery. This would lead to not only better outcomes and fewer hospitalisations but also a significant reduction in long-term healthcare costs.

The case for increased investment in preventative health care has never been more pressing. Currently, only about two per cent of Australia's healthcare budget is directed towards preventative measures. This contrasts with potential savings from early detection. Genomic testing offers promising investment opportunities for that investment, particularly for conditions such as cancer and heart disease, which have significant health and economic impacts. Limiting funding restricts genomic testing to a narrow post-symptom criteria, yet genomic testing's greatest advantage is the identification well before that. The current criteria-based approach is failing to identify our most high-risk individuals, leaving them unaware and without access to preventative measures. This results in lives consumed by poor health, deaths that could have been prevented and heartache for families for those that lose loved ones. But we could change the scenario. We have the access to this technology that could save lives.

The DNA Screen study led by Monash University is a recent example of genomic testing's incredible potential. The study screened more than 10,000 young adults for genetic risks linked to cancer and heart disease. It revealed that three-quarters of those identified as high-risk would not have qualified for funded testing under the current criteria—that's three in four who are missing out. This highlights a critical gap in our health system that the government has an opportunity to address. The biggest fear associated with DNA testing is whether life insurance companies can discriminate based on these results. I welcome the government's legislative ban announced in September—this would ensure Australians can undergo genetic testing without insurance concerns. That legislation hasn't been introduced as yet but, hopefully, we will see that in the near future.

The Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs has also recognised the potential of genetic testing, and recommended monitoring of the outcomes of the DNA Screen study, which also explores future investment in population-scale genomic testing and screening. We should heed this call. By expanding genomic testing and making it accessible to a broader population we can detect these diseases earlier, manage risks proactively and save lives. At the same time, we need to prepare our health system in order to meet the increased demand that population-wide genetic screening will bring. We must strengthen the infrastructure for downstream services and risk management in order to ensure that high-risk individuals receive timely and appropriate care.

Adult preventative genomic testing represents a significant opportunity. I mentioned the Monash study. Of the 10,000 participants, 24 were from my electorate of Braddon, and one of the 202 high-risk individuals lives in our region. Disease does not discriminate. This investment shifts us from reactive to preventative care, empowering individuals to take control of their health. I call on the government to implement— (Time expired)

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