A special message from Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain on Close the Gap Day:

“All Australians and Australian businesses have a role to play in closing the gap.

I am committed, and Diabetes Australia is committed to doing all we can.

Diabetes is having a devastating impact on the lives of First Nations Australians.

Australia has the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in teenagers and children in the world. It is First Nations children and teenagers who are bearing brunt of this.

The younger people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the worse the health outcomes are. Sadly, First Nations people experience higher rates of diabetes-related complications including kidney disease and limb amputation.

These are some of the reasons why diabetes is the single biggest contributor to the gap in life-expectancy between First Nations people and other Australians. 

This is unacceptable in a wealthy, developed nation like ours.

The time for action is now.

We acknowledge that to have a real impact on the epidemic of diabetes in First Nations communities we need First Nations-led policies and strategies.

We are very lucky to have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman Deanne Minniecon, a highly respected health leader, guiding us.

We’ve also just engaged one of Australia’s leading First Nations-owned consultancies to undertake the largest ever community conversation with First Nations people living with diabetes and those who care for them as well as health workers who work with First Nations people.

We care committed to listening, learning and delivering programs that lead to real and lasting change. 

Tomorrow we will be launching new education materials designed to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers better support people with diabetes. They’ve been developed in partnership with Australia’s top First Nations diabetes health professionals, are culturally appropriate and cover all the major aspects of diabetes management.

These are just some of the things we are doing to help close the gap and secure a better future for all Australians.”