Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) welcomes the 106 advocates for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Australia who are present with their families in Parliament House this week to advocate for further funding for the Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1 DCRN);

(2) commends these advocates for type 1 diabetes (T1D) on their work with Members and Senators across Australia, explaining why the research undertaken by the T1 DCRN to date has given them enormous hope;

(3) notes that there are over 130,000 Australians living with T1D, who are part of a passionate and articulate community as all who participated in World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2024 would know;

(4) acknowledges the work of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport inquiry into diabetes, chaired by the Member for Macarthur, which made bipartisan recommendations relating to T1D research, early detection and prevention, and to expanding access to diabetes technologies that help in the management of T1D;

(5) congratulates the advocates who have travelled from all over Australia to tell their stories and make the case for funding for the next stage of the T1 DCRN; and

(6) provides cross party assurance to JDRF Australia advocates that their message has been heard, their tenacity is admired, and that it is understood in this House that research holds the key.

The statistics concerning type 1 diabetes are confronting. Today there are over 130,000 Australians living with it. Every year around 3,000 children and adults are newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes—about eight people per day. In 2021 around 13,200 children and young adults aged zero to 19 were living with type 1 diabetes, and it's great to see some of them in the chamber here today. In 2023 these numbers translated to around 19,000 years of healthy life lost. However, tomorrow and today our focus will not be on statistics; our focus will be on the 106 children with type 1 diabetes and their families who will be visiting Parliament House for the Kids in the House event, kids like Charlotte and her dad, David, who I met previously thanks to the JDRF.

I have been involved with the Parliamentary Friends for the Prevention of Diabetes for my entire time in politics and am currently co-chair with the indefatigable member for Grey, Rowan Ramsey. During this time, I've benefited from a close working relationship with JDRF and learnt about the significant research carried out by the Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network.

JDRF is focused on research, including numerous clinical trials, that addresses two key pillars: finding a cure and improving the day-to-day lives of people with type 1 diabetes. The researchers want to discover how to prevent the condition, to find out what's causing it and to investigate how to stop it developing. What JDRF calls 'precision research' focuses on the differences in presentation of type 1 diabetes and subsequently how to tailor treatment to individuals, and their 'progress research' is aimed at accelerating the search for a cure.

Over the past year, I've had an additional focus for my work: temporary membership of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Support for its inquiry into diabetes in Australia. This year-long inquiry had nearly 500 submissions and met with stakeholders all around the country. The resulting report on the state of diabetes mellitus in Australia in 2024 recommended the continuation of funding for type 1 diabetes research and clinical trials. I think all in this place, particularly the member for McNamara, would fully support that. The Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network has received over $70 million in funding since 2010. Minister Butler provided a further $6.5 million in this year's budget, reinforcing the funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Medical Research Future Fund.

For people living with type 1 diabetes, the primary concern is, of course, the day-to-day management of the condition. When young Charlotte, hiding down the back there, visited my office, she was proud to show me her continuous glucose monitor. Continuous glucose monitors make the management of type 1 diabetes a little easier. They provide up-to-the-minute analysis of glucose levels, enabling the timely management of glucose highs and lows, leading to fewer low blood glucose emergencies. In June this year, I was one of a group of parliamentarians who wore a continuous glucose monitor for two weeks. I've changed my diet because of that. Who knew that sushi was so bad for you? This experiment was a great one to be involved with. I know people who use CGMs find them to be gamechangers, so I'm happy that the government has subsidised them. We're also committed to the expansion of the eligibility criteria for the separate insulin pump program.

I'd also like to touch on the advocacy work of JDRF. It's why the indefatigable Charlotte is here in Canberra this week, to link politicians with people with a lived experience. It's always powerful to hear directly from those affected, like Charlotte, for their part. JDRF advocates find purpose and positivity through speaking out for their community and pushing their research agenda. Thank you. Today and tomorrow is all about hope for the future; it's about our commitment to further research that makes it easier to manage type 1 diabetes on a daily basis, and it's about a firm focus on working together for a cure.

I'd like to thank Charlotte and the other impressive young advocates and their families for the work that they do to accelerate progress on the research targets of prevention, precision and progress. I extend a warm welcome to all the children and families coming to events and look forward to meeting many of you over today and tomorrow. Sadly, I think this will be my last JDRF event, so thank you for all the great work that you do, and I will follow from a distance outside the chamber.

See this speech in context