The Diabetes Alliance has called on the Federal Government to commit to, and fund, the recommendations of the Parliament Inquiry into Diabetes.
In a submission to the Federal Budget process, the Alliance highlighted key priorities from the recommendations including access to diabetes technologies, investment in research, support for the diabetes workforce and investment in prevention.
With over two million Australians living with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes, the condition is the cause of a growing crisis costing the health system $3.4 billion annually.
The Parliamentary Inquiry report, The State of Diabetes Mellitus in Australia, includes 23 recommendations including support for expanding access to diabetes technologies, coordinating diabetes research, better funding the diabetes workforce and investing in diabetes prevention. The recommendations are a comprehensive package of measures that would begin to stem the tide of Australia’s diabetes epidemic
Diabetes Australia’s position statement on equitable access to technology formed part of the budget submission. It advocates for a staged approach to expanding subsidies for insulin pumps for people living with type 1 diabetes and continuous glucose monitoring devices for people living with type 2 diabetes.
More funding for diabetes research is also a key focus for the Federal Budget. A decline in funding for diabetes research in Australia has had a significant impact on the field.
In 2023, NHMRC (the Australian Government’s primary health and medical research funding agency), provided only $19 million for diabetes research, which is less than half of the amount allocated in 2022.
A budget submission from the Australian Diabetes Society, Diabetes Australia and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association calls for $50 million in funding for priority areas of research including the causes of diabetes, prevention and remission, complications, and the rates of diabetes in the general population; as well as $75 million for diabetes-specific investigator grants.
The sector acknowledges and celebrates the Federal Government’s announcement last year to fund the Clinical Research Network of JDRF Australia. This is a significant investment in type 1 diabetes research. The Alliance is advocating for investment in other areas of diabetes research as well.
The Australian Diabetes Alliance
The Australian Diabetes Alliance comprises the country’s major diabetes organisations in collective advocacy for the sector: Diabetes Australia, the Australian Diabetes Educators Association, the Australian Diabetes Society, JDRF Australia, the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society, and the Australian and New Zealand Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes.
