Media Releases

Latest figures reveal 1.25 million Australians have known diabetes with an additional 108,000 Australians diagnosed with diabetes in just the past 12 months.

The figures have prompted renewed calls from Diabetes Australia for people with diabetes to have regular eye checks.

“Every person with diabetes is at risk of diabetes related retinopathy. Nearly all people with type 1 diabetes, and almost 60 per cent of people with type 2 diabetes, will develop some form of eye disease within 20 years of diagnosis,” said Professor Greg Johnson, CEO of Diabetes Australia .

Associate Professor Stuart Mannering, a global leader in diabetes research, is hoping he can discover a therapy that will ‘turn-off’ the immune response that may cause type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes Australia today announced the prestigious 2017 Millennium Award for Type 1 Diabetes to Associate Professor Mannering for his work at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research. The Award provides funding of $150,000.

Diabetes Australia also announced the 2017 Millennium Award for Type 2 diabetes which goes to Dr Seth Masters from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research who will be able to continue his research into how the immune system contributes to obesity, associated with the development of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Australia has hailed today’s announcement of the Federal Government’s $54 million Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) subsidy initiative as a life-changer for thousands of Australian children, young people and families living with type 1 diabetes.

New research shows that one in four Australians with type 2 diabetes is not willing to use insulin despite their doctor’s recommendation, with this group reporting more concerns or fears about the insulin therapy.

Diabetes Australia CEO, A/Prof Greg Johnson said “Insulin therapy is important and necessary for hundreds of thousands of Australians with type 2 diabetes – there are currently nearly 1.1 million Australians already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and over 250,000 of these people are using insulin to manage their diabetes – but more people need to use insulin and we need to address the psychological barriers to this necessary treatment.”

Pathology Awareness Australia and Diabetes Australia are inviting parliamentarians to have diabetes checks at Parliament House to monitor their own health status and learn about the importance of pathology monitoring for the 1.25 million Australians living with diabetes.

As part of the Detecting Diabetes event on 22nd March at Parliament House, politicians and staffers will be offered HbA1c blood tests, which can be used to diagnose and monitor diabetes.

Metabolic memory, a phenomenon where episodes of hyperglycaemia continue to increase a person’s risk of diabetes-related complications long after blood glucose levels have returned to target range, is at the centre of a new study at Monash University.

In particular the new study is looking at ways of reducing the impact of metabolic memory in the hope of developing new treatments for diabetes-related kidney failure.

In a speech to the Tasmanian Parliament, Diabetes Australia Ambassador and Minister for Resources and Minister for Building and Construction Guy Barnett who cycled in Pollie Pedal said, "The 2017 Diabetes Tasmania Pollie Pedal was a resounding success with over $43,000 raised to support those with diabetes! A truly fantastic result.

The Coalition’s 2016 Election commitment of $54m over four years to provide Continuous Glucose Monitoring through the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) to children and young people with type 1 diabetes was warmly welcomed by Diabetes Australia.

This was something we advocated for on behalf of Australia’s diabetes community.

Since then, Diabetes Australia has been working constructively with the Federal Government and the Department of Health to ensure the initiative is implemented successfully.

As many as one in four adults in some parts of regional Victoria drink sugary drinks every day, despite being a contributor to high rates of overweight and obesity. Around one in nine Victorian adults – the equivalent of about 650,000 people – drink sugary drinks every day, and one in two Victorian adults are overweight or obese, new figures show.

The 13 health and community organisations behind Rethink Sugary Drink say the latest data from the Victorian Population Health Survey highlights the impact regular sugary drink consumption is having on Australia’s weight problem.

Back to school – do we have a safe and fair playground for kids with type 1 diabetes?

A lack of a clear, consistent national approach to supporting children with diabetes at school means the parents of more than 11,300 Australian students with diabetes are enduring an anxious start to the school year.

If not treated appropriately type 1 diabetes can pose immediate life-threatening health risks and must be considered with the same seriousness as acute asthma attacks and anaphylaxis.

Diabetes Australia CEO A/Professor Greg Johnson said the organisation was calling for a nationally consistent program and a more systematic approach to supporting children with diabetes at school and in child care.