Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a privilege to have a second opportunity to say a few words. I would like to talk about diabetes. Well before this century reaches its halfway mark, the global affliction of diabetes will have seriously challenged the health and the budgets of all nations. Diabetes is not just a matter of concern to health professionals; it will have brought incalculable harm to the quality of life for individuals, with consequences for the social fabric of nations. The dilemma for richer nations will be drastic, but for poorer nations it will be catastrophic. All over the globe, diabetes is an insidious blight to income production, to creativity and, indeed, to life expectancy. The conflict we are waging is fast becoming too late for too many, particularly in the small Pacific nations. The number of people affected is in the millions and the process from decision making to action is a challenge of considerable magnitude.

On Tuesday in this place the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group, which I chair, co-hosted a summit with Diabetes Australia. Some of the best clinicians in the country came to this place to deliberate on how we might move forward with policies that will help us to stem the diabetes pandemic in Australia. We had notable people such as Professor Martin Silink, the President of the International Diabetes Federation; Dr Gary Deed, the President of Diabetes Australia; Professor Ruth Colagiuri and her husband; and Professor George Rubin, who facilitated the event—amongst others. We also work closely with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and they were represented by their Chief Executive Officer, Mike Wilson, and Sarah Harrison.

I would like to pay tribute to the work of our peak organisations in trying to manage this terrible disease of diabetes in this country. They do a marvellous job. Diabetes Australia manages the national scheme. I also look forward to getting a summary of the deliberations from the summit on Tuesday because it will help us to know what direction we have to move in as legislators in this place to stem the tide of diabetes. Finally, I would also like to pay tribute to the work of my many colleagues in this place, some 60-plus in number, who are members of the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group who continue to support this important work.