Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about genetic testing discrimination, and I acknowledge the member for Macnamara, who has placed a private member's motion for debate in this place later today.

Insurance plays a critical role in our lives. The welfare system is, in effect, a vast social insurance scheme. We all pool our resources to help those who, through no fault of their own, need assistance after fate has dealt its cards. The welfare system provides insurance against risks that we all face to a greater or lesser degree: illness, old age and unemployment. A key plank of insurance is risk management: investing more in prevention than cure. As the 19th-century poem states: 'Better to put a strong fence around the top of the cliff than an ambulance down in the valley.'

What happens to people who are proactive and take steps to put up a strong fence rather than relying on the ambulance but whose genetic tests results throw up a curveball? What happens if, for example, genetic test results show that a person carries breast cancer? They are then heavily penalised. They may be denied insurance cover completely or forced to pay much higher premiums. Many countries have banned the use of genetic test results by insurers to determine cover, but not Australia. Moreover, life policies are limited to providing cover of up to $500,000, but, with the average home loan standing in Australia at $584,000, according to the Bureau of Statistics, a pay-out wouldn't even pay off the average mortgage. Imagine the terrible dilemma that many people faced. You get tested to remain healthy and live long enough to see your kids grow up, while knowing at the same time you could be denied insurance because you've done the very thing required to protect your health. It is why so many are instead effectively playing Russian roulette with their lives.

Genetic testing is risk management personified. Not only does genetic testing save lives; it also delivers great economic benefits, especially through prevention and early detection. It remains a conundrum that the Commonwealth has invested heavily in genetic medicine via the $500 million Genomics Health Futures Mission, yet progress is stymied because of Australia's current stance on genetic testing discrimination.

In 2018, a joint parliamentary committee inquiry recommended an urgent ban on the use of genetic test results in life insurance underwriting. To investigate the effectiveness of the moratorium, the federal government funded the A-GLIMMER project, the Australian Genetics and Life Insurance Moratorium, monitoring the effectiveness and response from 2020 to 2023. The views and experiences of health professionals, consumers, researchers and financial advisers were sought, and the results show an overwhelming lack of confidence in the current moratorium.

That is why I support serious consideration of a legislative ban on genetic discrimination in life insurance. Such changes would increase access to genetic testing and research, ultimately saving and changing the lives of Australians and likely contributing to savings in the healthcare system.