Charlotte Walker (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have a genetic heart condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia, which affects one in 200 Australians and causes early heart attacks, even in very young people. Recently, a DNA screening study tested 10,000 healthy young Australians to detect genes that could put them at high risk of cancer and heart disease, including the condition I have. It found 200 people with these high-risk genes—that is, one in 50 people. Combined, these genetic conditions are not that rare; they're actually quite common. Because I know about my condition, I can take medication to avoid irreversible damage to my heart. Sadly, our current testing mechanisms find fewer than 10 per cent of people with these high-risk genetic variants.

Yesterday, at an event here in parliament, four young Australians spoke about what it means to have discovered their genetic conditions through the DNA screening study. Mitch now knows he has Lynch syndrome, a gene fault which interferes with DNA repair. He can now be tested regularly for early detection of a range of cancers such as colon cancer. Georgie now knows she has the BRCA2 gene, and she has had preventive surgery to avoid the breast cancer her mother suffered. Ben said, 'I am lucky to have found out early because I've now taken control of my health, and I owe that to DNA screen.' He can how help his family, including his children, to manage their risks. Monica found out about her familial hypercholesterolaemia when her first baby was three months old. She said this has given her precious time to prevent the heart attack which could rob her children of their mother.

I commend this study, led by Monash University researchers Dr Jane Tiller and Professor Paul Lacaze, which has shown us how population genomic testing could be used to prevent disease altogether.