Thank you very much Cassie. I think you may have been the youngest MC I';ve met, but can I say you';re much more articulate than many of the MCs I have met. I think we would all agree with that.
I think all of us, and most particularly the people in this room, will be very conscious of the major impact on the lives of so many young Australians and their families of juvenile diabetes. And the opportunity that this gathering in the Great Hall of Parliament House affords the Foundation to draw the attention of the nation and the parliament to the challenge of juvenile diabetes is one that has been well taken and I congratulate all of those responsible for the organisation of this and I particularly acknowledge the contribution of my many parliamentary colleagues who are here today.
Cassie has reminded us, the rest of the community, of the daily challenges of coping with juvenile diabetes, of the multiple injections of insulin every day, of the need to constantly monitor blood sugar levels by the pricking of their finger – in her case six times a day – and the need to constantly balance their insulin injections with their food intake. She has also reminded us, as is the case with so many of challenges of this kind, that its incidence can be so random and can often and in so many cases be quite unrelated to lifestyle and diet and related issues.
The Government does understand how diabetes and its complications contribute to ill health, to disability and on some occasions premature death, and that is why the Government identified diabetes as one of the national health priority areas. This year the Government has allocated over $20 million through the National Health and Medical Research Council, specifically for types 1 and 2 diabetes research. The Government is also working in partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on projects such as the establishment of a diabetes vaccine development centre to coordinate research efforts on juvenile diabetes. I have been informed that islet cell transplantation is an experimental treatment for diabetes that could replace the need for pancreas transplants in some sufferers by injecting cells that trigger the pancreas to begin producing insulin. And I understand that the Department of Health is assisting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the development of a proposal to be considered by the Commonwealth and the States on this issue.
But can I say, beyond reminding each other of the contributions that governments and community support groups make to assisting people who have juvenile diabetes and diabetes generally, the value of a gathering such as this and the value of the involvement of Members of Parliament and others in the community in the national parliament is that it does bring home to the rest of the community the sorts of challenges that young people who have juvenile diabetes have to cope with and also the challenges of parents and others who care for them. And it also, I think, brings home another very important thing – that an illness such as this is something that occur to anybody. It can occur to the person next door, it can occur to the family next door, it can occur to you. And you can go through life experiencing in various generations a lifestyle that is free of illness of these types and then it will appear amongst somebody, and can appear in somebody very close to you. And that reinforces the need to simultaneously be sensitive and caring and supporting, but also the need to recognise that the best gift that we can give to young children and to young people who have juvenile diabetes is to ensure that to the maximum extent we can, that their lives are as uninterrupted by it and as unaffected by it, because although it is something that is challenging and although it does involve disadvantages that don';t afflict people who don';t have it, it doesn';t in any way prevent people living full and active lives.
I wasn';t being in any way, I hope, patronising or going through the normal compliments of a guest speaker, to say what I said about Cassie. But to hear the, and to witness the self-confidence and the articulation and so forth brought home to me that this is a young lady who despite having to do the things that she has to do, that hasn';t stopped her developing to the full and I think that is the strongest message that I will take out of this gathering today. Here is this lovely young girl having to do what she described, but she has got a poise and a self-confidence and she is a metaphor for the capacity of people, supported by those around them who love them most, to overcome and to get on with life and to cope with treatments that others in the community don';t have to cope with. And that to me is a very inspiring message.
I know that there has been some discussion recently, and I felt I should raise this matter because you may be interested in what I have to say about it, there has been some discussion in relation to the carer allowance. And you';ll all be aware that carers of children with juvenile diabetes are currently eligible for carer allowance if they meet an objective list of criteria regarding their child';s abilities. And these children will be reviewed at key development stages to assess eligibility for continued access to the allowance. And this recognises that the circumstances of a child under care may change and for example, some young children with diabetes need a higher level of care, but as they grow older are more able to manage their condition. In January of last year a special care needs criterion was added to allow streamlined access to carers' allowance if the condition of the child with juvenile diabetes significantly worsens. And the current review of the list of recognised disabilities provides an opportunity for juvenile diabetes and a range of other conditions to be considered for inclusion on the list. And I encourage therefore your organisation to provide information about the condition to the review team.
And I';d especially like to acknowledge the presence here today of Senator Kay Patterson, the Minister for Health, as well as my parliamentary colleague Trish Worth, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, as well as the Speaker of the House and many others of my parliamentary colleagues. But most especially in supporting and launching your activity today, can I pay tribute to the families, to the mothers and fathers and other loved ones and carers, and very particularly the wonderful spirit of the children and the sense of togetherness and the sense of being a family, looking after people who have a condition that many others don';t have, but more importantly than that, have the spirit and the determination to ensure that that condition doesn';t stop them living full, active, contributing and happy lives. And that';s the message I take out of today. It';s a very important message. It';s a very inspiring message. And it';s a message that the Government wants to contribute to its ongoing partnership with your foundation.
Thank you very much.
[ends]