Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the weekend, I participated in and spoke at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk to Cure Diabetes event in Adelaide. The foundation is helping to build awareness of type 1 diabetes in the community and to raise funds for their researchers. I was joined by my colleague the Minister for Education and federal member for Sturt, Christopher Pyne, who was working with the Lawrence family to raise funds.

Over $100,000 was raised at the event, with the total still being collated, and over 1,500 people came out and participated—and my family was among them. It was a great family day out, with a great carnival atmosphere. There were many stalls and a bouncy castle, which the kids love each time. There was also fantastic support for the government's funding of insulin pumps and the $35 million for clinical research initiated by the Minister for Health—another good example of how the government is supporting the health system.

Type 1 diabetes is a life-long, anti-immune disease that usually occurs in childhood and which causes the body to mistakenly attack itself. The aim of Sunday's event was to raise awareness of this disease and also to promote clinical research. An event like this cannot occur without a great deal of support, including that of the hardworking staff of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, in particular Tamara Aitchison and Julia Lamb, as well as the many volunteers and supporters.

Finally, Santos, a great Australian company that was unfairly attacked by some in the other house last week, again demonstrated their support for the community by giving back to it, and they should be supported by our elected members and not boycotted.