This week, Diabetes Australia, the Australian Diabetes Society and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association welcomed recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes, including calls for the expansion of access to diabetes technology – which we know is critical to improving the lives of people living with diabetes.

On the back of the recommendations, we have joined with leading health organisations and members of the diabetes community to endorse a consensus statement on the need for more affordable access to automated insulin delivery (AID) for Australians living with type 1 diabetes.

AID has positively transformed the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes who have the means to access the technology.

Australian and international guidelines now recommend AID systems as the standard of care for people with type 1 diabetes who wish to use them. However, Australia’s current funding model puts AID out of reach for most Australians, with fewer than 20% of Australians living with type 1 diabetes using an AID system.

Australians living with all types of diabetes should have equitable access to the technology they need to live well, including people living with type 2 diabetes who would greatly benefit from affordable access to CGM. Our ‘Unite in the fight for tech’ campaign launched at Parliament House this week will shine a light on this during National Diabetes Week (14-20 July).

We look forward to working with the government as it responds to the Parliamentary Inquiry recommendations, including those regarding expanding subsidised access to CGM and insulin pumps.

Read the full Consensus Statement on Automated Insulin Delivery for Type 1 Diabetes in Australia