Diabetes Australia has welcomed commitments from both Labor and the Coalition to invest in more bulk billed GP visits.  

With Australia in the midst of a diabetes epidemic, greater access to primary care is necessary to support diabetes screening, as well as management, in order to avoid complications such as heart and kidney disease.  

The announcements mean GP bulk billing incentives will be expanded to all Australians and an additional new incentive payment will be established for practices that bulk bill every patient. 

With more than 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 majority of diabetes management and review for type 2 diabetes occurs in the primary care setting, so investments that make it easier for people to access that care are welcome. 

In the lead up to the Federal Election, Diabetes Australia is also calling on both sides of politics to commit to funding equitable access to diabetes technologies. 

Expanding subsidies for insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices will ensure Australians living with all types of diabetes have access to the technology they need to live well.  

Diabetes Australia is urging the Federal Government and the Opposition to commit $200 million over four years to expand subsidised access to diabetes technologies for those who would benefit the most.    

Diabetes Australia has this week extended its gratitude to retiring Federal MPs Graham Perrett and Rowan Ramsey for their tireless advocacy and commitment to the diabetes community in the Australian Parliament.  

As co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Diabetes group, they played a critical role in advancing diabetes awareness, policy, and access to life-changing technology for people living with diabetes. 

Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain commended both MPs for their leadership and dedication to improving the lives of Australians affected by diabetes. 

“Graham Perrett and Rowan Ramsey have been fearless and passionate champions for the diabetes community. Their bipartisan support for the sector has helped drive important initiatives, including securing greater access to diabetes technology such as Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) for people living with type 1 diabetes.  

“For nearly a decade, they demonstrated their commitment to reducing the burden of diabetes. Their collaboration shows what can be achieved when people come together with the common goal of improving the health of all Australians. 

“Their work has made a real and lasting impact on peoples’ lives,” Ms Cain said. 

Both MPs have now delivered their valedictory speeches in Parliament. 

“Graham and Rowan leave behind an extraordinary legacy of advocacy, and Diabetes Australia thanks them for their unwavering support,” Ms Cain said. 

“We look forward to engaging with new co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Diabetes in the next Parliament.” 

Diabetes Australia representatives are in Federal Parliament this week calling on both sides of politics to commit to funding equitable access to diabetes technologies during the upcoming Federal Election.  

Expanding subsidies for insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices will ensure Australians living with all types of diabetes have access to the technology they need to live well. 

With more than 1.5 million Australians living with diabetes, and projections indicating that number will exceed 3.1 million by 2050, the need for affordable access to this technology has never been greater.  

Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices (CGMs) and Insulin Pumps change, and save, lives. 

“Not only do they enhance quality of life, research shows that they also reduce hospital admissions, and prevent long-term complications such as heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure.  

“Yet, despite their life-saving potential, many Australians living with diabetes simply can’t afford these technologies,” Ms Cain said. 

“The cost-of-living crisis is placing immense pressure on Australians living with diabetes, forcing many to choose between essential medical technology and basic necessities. No one should have to make that choice.” 

Diabetes Australia is urging the Federal Government and the Opposition to commit $200 million over four years to expand subsidised access to diabetes technologies for those who would benefit the most.  

“We’re grateful that the Federal Government has expanded CGM subsidies for all Australians with type 1 diabetes in recent years; however, we still have a long way to go,” Ms Cain said.  

“People with type 2 diabetes requiring multiple daily insulin injections are still denied subsidised CGM access, despite clear evidence of improved health outcomes and cost savings for the healthcare system.  

“At the same time, thousands of Australians living with type 1 diabetes are unable to afford insulin pumps, with private health insurance being the only viable pathway for many. That’s an expensive option that remains out of reach for some people.” 

The recent Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes unequivocally supported the expansion of diabetes technology subsidies, stating that “ensuring better access to this technology for all Australians must be a priority”.  

Research has shown that insulin pumps and CGM technology significantly improve blood glucose management, reducing the risk of severe hypoglycaemia, improving time-in-range, and ultimately leads to fewer diabetes-related complications.  

The economic case is just as strong: expanding access will reduce emergency department visits, ambulance callouts, and hospitalisations, providing long-term savings for Australia’s healthcare system. 

Diabetes Australia’s proposed reforms will prioritise:

Insulin pumps for people living with type 1 diabetes who are:

• under 21 years of age
• over 21 years of age with a health care card; and
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

CGM devices for people living with type 2 and other types of diabetes who are:

• pregnant
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• under the age of 21; and
• requiring multiple daily injections of insulin.

Ms Cain said the time for action is now because no Australian should be left behind. 

“Diabetes does not discriminate based on income, postcode, or background, so why should access to life-saving technology?” Ms Cain said. 

“We urge policymakers to commit to the $200 million investment outlined in our Position Statement, ensuring that every Australian has equitable access to the diabetes technology they need to lead healthier, fuller lives.” 

This week, Diabetes Australia, the Australian Diabetes Society and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association welcomed recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes, including calls for the expansion of access to diabetes technology – which we know is critical to improving the lives of people living with diabetes.

On the back of the recommendations, we have joined with leading health organisations and members of the diabetes community to endorse a consensus statement on the need for more affordable access to automated insulin delivery (AID) for Australians living with type 1 diabetes.

AID has positively transformed the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes who have the means to access the technology.

Australian and international guidelines now recommend AID systems as the standard of care for people with type 1 diabetes who wish to use them. However, Australia’s current funding model puts AID out of reach for most Australians, with fewer than 20% of Australians living with type 1 diabetes using an AID system.

Australians living with all types of diabetes should have equitable access to the technology they need to live well, including people living with type 2 diabetes who would greatly benefit from affordable access to CGM. Our ‘Unite in the fight for tech’ campaign launched at Parliament House this week will shine a light on this during National Diabetes Week (14-20 July).

We look forward to working with the government as it responds to the Parliamentary Inquiry recommendations, including those regarding expanding subsidised access to CGM and insulin pumps.

Read the full Consensus Statement on Automated Insulin Delivery for Type 1 Diabetes in Australia

On Wednesday 3 July, Parliamentary Friends of Diabetes Co-Chairs Graham Perrett MP and Rowan Ramsey MP hosted the launch of Diabetes Australia’s upcoming National Diabetes Week campaign; ‘Unite in the Fight for Tech’. 

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler MP; and Chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, Dr Mike Freelander MP, at the launch of our new campaign ‘Unite in the fight for tech’. 

On the same night that recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes were released, both Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler MP; and Chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport, Dr Mike Freelander MP, spoke powerfully at the event about the need to drive action to arrest the diabetes epidemic in Australia and improve the lives of people living with diabetes. 

Improving access to diabetes technology is critical to this. And the message at the event was simple; Australians living with all types of diabetes should have equitable access to the technology they need to live well. 

On the back of the recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry, it’s time to act decisively, including in the area of equitable access to diabetes technology. 

Dianne Moidin knows better than most about the courage people show when they live with chronic kidney disease.

Dianne runs the local Dialysis Support Group at Bundaberg Hospital as a volunteer because she loves the people.

“Everyone can do with a bit of company when you’re hooked up to dialysis machines for hours,” she said. Diane’s husband has undergone numerous visits each week to the dialysis unit for the past seven years.

This Kidney Action Week (May 11-17), hospitals and special dialysis units around Australia are treating people who often had no symptoms to alert them that their kidneys were being damaged.

An estimated 330,000 Australians living with diabetes have chronic kidney disease. If detected early, treatments and lifestyle changes can slow or halt the progression of the condition. However, if kidney disease is undetected, kidney damage is often irreversible.

That’s why Diabetes Australia has called on the Australian Government to establish a National Diabetes Kidney Disease Screening Program. Early detection would save the health system millions of dollars by preventing the complications caused by late diagnosis.

Diabetes Australia’s Group CEO Justine Cain said this would be an important initiative to help people living with diabetes. “The cost to people’s lives, in terms of human suffering and also impacts on their finances and ability to work, cannot be underestimated,” Ms Cain said.

Last year, Diabetes Australia released a report, “Saving Lives by Better Detecting Diabetes-Related Kidney Disease”. It found:

• 324 Australians living with diabetes undergo a kidney transplant each year
• 10,249 Australians living with diabetes are undergoing kidney replacement therapy including dialysis each year
• 2,024 Australians living with diabetes die from kidney disease each year
• Better early detection of kidney disease could save the Australian economy around $500M per annum.

The report estimates diabetes-related kidney disease costs Australia $2.68B per annum with the majority of the cost ($1.9B) associated with people living with diabetes experiencing kidney failure.

Ms Cain said there was an urgent need in Australia for earlier intervention to help prevent kidney failure that was not currently being met.

“About a quarter of all people living with diabetes also live with kidney disease,” Ms Cain said.

“More than 10,000 Australians living with diabetes are undergoing kidney replacement therapy which can include dialysis or kidney transplantation.

“Most kidney failure can be prevented with early intervention; however, just under a quarter (23%) of people are getting their kidneys checked within recommended timeframes.

“Each of these statistics represents a person living with diabetes. We need a National Diabetes Kidney Disease Screening Program to improve health outcomes for these people.”

Dianne said she and her husband would support anything that reduces the number of people experiencing kidney disease.

“Anyone who spends even one day in a dialysis unit will do everything they can to avoid being admitted to one,” she said.

Affordable access to diabetes technology is life changing and life saving. That’s why Diabetes Australia is continuing to advocate to the Federal Government for fairer access to insulin pumps for people living with type 1 diabetes.

We recently joined with Australian diabetes organisations in writing to Dr Mike Freelander MP (Chair of Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport) urging the government to ensure all Australians living with type 1 diabetes can afford insulin pump therapy.

Across the world, countries are investing in this important technology.

New Zealand is undertaking consultation on a proposal that would see a range of devices funded for New Zealanders with type 1 diabetes, including insulin pumps. They are also proposing to simplify the access criteria for insulin pumps.

In the UK, NHS England is providing local health systems with 2.5 million pounds to expand access to hybrid closed loop systems (also known as an artificial pancreas). The mass rollout builds on a successful pilot of the technology and will prioritise people living with type 1 diabetes who are: pregnant; have a HbA1C over 7.5%; and children/young people under 18 years of age.

As other countries expand their investment in this important technology, it’s more important than ever that Australians living with type 1 diabetes are not left behind.

Diabetes Australia is strongly advocating for affordable access to diabetes technologies like insulin pumps for people living with type 1 diabetes, as well as continuous glucose monitors for people living with type 2 diabetes.

Insulin pumps are battery-operated electronic devices about the size of a small mobile phone that can deliver background (basal) and meal-based (bolus) insulin. They have been shown to help people keep blood glucose levels within a target range and reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications.

However, despite their clear health benefit they are expensive and unaffordable for many. Only around 24% of people living with type 1 diabetes are currently able to access this technology. This is significantly lower than in comparable countries including the United States where an estimated 63% of adults and 58% of children and young people use an insulin pump to manage type 1 diabetes.

Peak diabetes organisations are urging the Federal Government to act now and prioritise access to diabetes medicines for Aboriginal communities in rural and remote areas.

Diabetes Australia, Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association are calling for prioritised access to vital medicines for Aboriginal communities where rates of type 2 diabetes are the highest in the world.

Diabetes Australia Acting Group CEO Taryn Black said the global shortage of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic is having a serious impact on the diabetes community, particularly in parts of Australia where rates of type 2 diabetes are disproportionately high.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than three times as likely to live with diabetes and nearly five times more likely to be hospitalised with diabetes-related complications,” Ms Black said.

“We know that new medicines like GLP-1 agonists are highly effective, so we need to ensure that they are available in areas of most need.

“In Australia, that means prioritising access for Aboriginal communities in rural and remote areas where high rates of type 2 diabetes are having a devastating impact on peoples lives,” she said.

Grace Ward, Elder Advocate at Diabetes Australia and Kamilaroi-Yuwaalaraay diabetes educator, said the burden of disease from type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal communities was a major issue with up to 40% prevalence rates in Aboriginal adults in Central Australia.

“Worryingly, the age of diagnosis is also getting younger,” Ms Ward said.

“This week we recognised National Close the Gap Day. Health equity is a key theme of closing the gap. 

“Governments should prioritise working with communities, seeking solutions to address the barriers to the wellbeing of Aboriginal people living with type 2 diabetes, by providing access to critical diabetes medicines including GLP1-s. 

“This would improve diabetes management and prevent complications,” Ms Ward said.

Australian Diabetes Society CEO Sof Andrikopoulos said newer medications need to be provided to remote communities without restriction.

“Access to diabetes medicines needs to be provided without delay to Aboriginal communities in central Australia in particular, in order to address the significant burden of disease in these communities,” Mr Andrikopoulos said.

Australian Diabetes Educators Association CEO, Susan Davidson, said credentialled diabetes educators (CDEs) are working hard across the country to support people living with diabetes but medicines are essential.

“CDEs provide support for the use of GLP-1s, as well as advice on exercise and healthy eating.

“The prioritisation of GLP1’s for Aboriginal communities where there is highest need will support health professionals in providing the critical care that is needed for people living with diabetes,” Ms Davidson said.

Diabetes Australia and leading researchers are in Parliament this week calling for an emergency injection of funding into vital diabetes research.

Acting Diabetes Australia Group CEO, Taryn Black, said this is a critical time for Australian diabetes research as National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding has declined by 35% over the past decade while the number of people living with diabetes has increased by 32%.

“Diabetes Australia and our partners have called on the government to invest $10 million in emergency research funding in this year’s Federal Budget to help us keep the doors open in research labs across the country,” Ms Black said.

“Research creates hope, and that’s essential for a person living with diabetes.

“Without diabetes research, insulin would not have been discovered and we would not have seen the huge advances in treatments and technologies like continuous glucose monitoring that have emerged in recent decades and changed people’s lives.

“Diabetes Australia is steadfast in our commitment to research which will ultimately improve the lives of people living with, and at risk of, diabetes.

“Over the past 10 years, Diabetes Australia has invested more than $40 million in supporting nearly 450 critical research initiatives across all types of diabetes.

“We need the government to prioritise diabetes research too because research holds the key to arresting the diabetes epidemic which has grown into a global killer,” Ms Black said.

Currently, around 2 million Australians are living with diabetes and that number is projected to reach 3.6 million by 2050.

Pre-budget submissions made to the Federal Government by Diabetes Australia, Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association show that every year, diabetes costs the Australian health care system $3.4 billion and is responsible for 11% of hospitalisations.

“We have genuine concerns that some critical areas of research will not be able to continue beyond the next 12 months,” Ms Black said.  

“This is research that is identifying potentially ground-breaking discoveries into one of Australia’s major health priorities.”

A/Professor Sof Andrikopoulos, President of Australian Diabetes Society, said the funding decline had brought diabetes research to a dire state in Australia.

“Research is the only way we will be able to improve treatment for people living with diabetes and ultimately find a cure,” he said.

“Australian researchers are undertaking world-class studies into important areas like diabetic ketoacidosis, eye disease and type 1 screening programs for children, to name just a few.

“We must continue to support this work.

“It also makes financial sense, with economic analysis showing medical research delivers a return of almost $4 for every dollar invested.

“The diabetes community anticipates that the return on investment for diabetes research could be even higher because it generates better treatments that ultimately reduce the impact of serious complications on the health care system,” he said.  

In three pre-budget submissions, Diabetes Australia, along with ADS and ADEA, have also called for the Federal Budget to include:

• A Diabetes and Obesity Health Mission under the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
• Expanded access to continuous glucose monitoring for people with type 2 diabetes who use insulin
• A national diabetes kidney disease screening program
• A national diabetes prevention phone line
• An expansion and adaptation of the Diabetes in Schools program to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living with type 2 diabetes
• A funded Implementation Plan for the government’s National Diabetes Strategy
• MBS funding to support initiation of diabetes technology by a Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE)
• Funded CDE visits for people most at risk of diabetes-related complications
• Funded CDE visits for people with gestational diabetes mellitus both during and post-pregnancy.

Some Australians living with diabetes are experiencing distress getting through airport security screening, so Diabetes Australia is taking action to educate workers and improve the experience for people living with diabetes.

‘Having diabetes shouldn’t prevent people from experiencing the joy of travel, but we know that there are added complexities that affect the ability of Australians living with Diabetes to enjoy their travel and stay healthy,’ said Justine Cain, Group Chief Executive Officer at Diabetes Australia. ‘This includes challenges at airport security and screening points, for people travelling with medications and especially medical devices.’

‘Despite clear guidance from the Department of Home Affairs to ensure people can get through airport security without affecting their medical devices, people have been telling Diabetes Australia that these rules are applied inconsistently at Australia’s airports, resulting in ‘horrible’ and ‘awful’ experiences.

As a result of this lived experience and feedback from the diabetes community, Diabetes Australia is commencing a project to work with airport security services to educate their workforce and improve the experience for people living with diabetes. This will include reviewing and updating existing ‘Diabetes and Travel’ information available online, including providing advice to other organisations and easy-to-use resources for people with diabetes.’

‘We also intend to develop and deliver training and resources for airport security staff to respond more appropriately to people living with diabetes, and we will share the lived experiences of people with diabetes to improve travel regulations,’ said Ms Cain.

‘The direct experience of people living with diabetes is central to our work, including making sure that they can access services and support, safely and without stigma, where and when it’s needed and to this end we have a very strong focus on improving the broader community’s understanding of diabetes, including security screening workers”.

Background

Medical device manufacturers advise that diabetes devices can be affected by body scanners and x-ray machines, and the Government recognises that some equipment may not be suitable for screening. In that situation, alternative procedures are available so that security staff can be assured a person is not carrying any prohibited items or weapons before they proceed beyond the security screening checkpoint.

This can include using a hand-held metal detector, an explosive trace detection test or a targeted frisk search of the area. If you do not wish to discuss this at the security screening checkpoint or if you want any additional screening to be carried out away from public view, you can request a private room and a screening officer of the same gender.

People are advised to travel with written advice from their treating team describing their device or equipment to expedite the process. More information at homeaffairs.gov.au.