Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In June 2024, the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport released a significant report following the parliamentary diabetes inquiry. This report is a wake-up call for our national strategy on managing diabetes and obesity. It highlights how these chronic conditions are threatening to reduce life expectancy for the first time in generations. Crucially, the report makes clear that disadvantaged groups and regional communities face the heaviest health burdens. These are the very people struggling with inequitable access to specialised medical care and essential technology. The report calls for urgent government intervention.

In my electorate of Fowler, an estimated 8,575 people are living with diabetes and likely thousands more remain undiagnosed. That is roughly eight per cent of our population, which is significantly higher than the New South Wales average of seven per cent. South-western Sydney is recognised as a national hotspot for this condition. Within my region, the Fairfield local government area has one of the highest proportions of people registered with diabetes, at 8.1 per cent. In suburbs like Fairfield and Cabramatta that figure climbs even higher, with some pockets seeing rates of nine per cent. Deputy Speaker Scrymgour, I'm sure you understand this issue. Significantly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults represent rates of about 13 to 17 per cent.

Every day more Australians are living with this condition. Some know about it and are doing the best to manage it while others have no idea it is quietly taking hold of their lives. That is the confronting reality. This is why I continue to speak up for my community in Fowler. Fowler sits in the heart of what experts call Australia's diabetes belt. These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet; they are my constituents. While the national trend for new type 2 diagnoses has seen a slight decline, Western Sydney and Fowler remain at the forefront of this disease. As noted by the chair of the standing committee, Australia is a wealthy country, yet we are facing a situation where these chronic illnesses are contributing to shorter life spans.

There were 23 recommendations in that report, but I want to focus on recommendation 15. It says:

The Committee recommends that subsidised access to Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) be further expanded.

They stated that all access limitations for patients with type 1 diabetes should be removed and that individuals with insulin-dependent type 3c diabetes, gestational diabetes or type 2 diabetes requiring regular insulin should all be made eligible for subsidies. We finally have real CGM funded under the National Diabetes Services Scheme for people living with type 1 diabetes, and that has changed lives. But we now know that people with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes also benefit enormously from this technology.

I recently met with Dexcom, who told me about their visit to the diabetes clinic at Fairfield Hospital. They met one of my constituents there, and he said something that really struck me. He told Dexcom that he was relieved to have type 1 diabetes instead of type 2 because it meant he could finally access a CGM. It should not be like that. A patient should never feel fortunate to have one chronic condition over another simply to access the technology required to stay healthy. Expanding access is not just a compassionate policy; it is also cost-effective, yet too many people in communities like mine still go without it.

My constituent Mr Compart from Chipping Norton manages his type 2 diabetes by pricking his finger several times a day, every single day. He spends between $200 and $300 a month on medication and supplies. In a community like Fowler, where families are already struggling with the cost of living, this is a financial breaking point. Real-time CGM flips that on its head. It gives people live information, on their phone or on a small receiver with alarms, about what is happening in their bodies when their sugar is going too high or too low. It lets them act before they hit a crisis point. It helps them avoid the ambulance ride, the emergency department and the hospital stay.

The health economic modelling is clear. When people with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes use real-time continuous glucose monitoring, we see fewer amputations, fewer kidney failures, fewer heart attacks and fewer severe hypos. We save money in the health system. The 2024 inquiry recognised this reality, and its recommendations should not sit on the shelf gathering dust. I urge the government to support the Diabetes Australia prebudget submission and expand NDSS funding. It's time to ensure that a resident in Fairfield or Liverpool has the same chance at a healthy life as someone living in the most affluent parts of the country. Let's not leave these communities like mine behind.