House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport Inquiry into Diabetes – August 2023
What was the Inquiry?
The Inquiry was announced in May 2023. It focused on five areas (see Box 1). The Inquiry Committee invited written submissions from the public. By July 2023, there were almost 500. Fifteen public hearings were held from June 2023 to March 2024.
Summary of recommendations
The following list summarises our recommendation to the Inquiry, with detailed evidence supporting each recommendation presented below, against the relevant Terms of Reference (TOR).
- Fund and Implement the National Preventive Health Strategy and the National Obesity Strategy in full
- Focus on obesity and diabetes prevention among children and young people to ensure they become healthy adults, through both targeted interventions and universal population-level policies and programs
- Design and develop interventions and policies with and for population groups at higher risk of obesity and diabetes, including some CALD communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Adopt a health levy on manufacturers of sugar sweetened beverages, using a tiered tax design, similar to that of the UK
- Introduce comprehensive legislation to prevent children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing across all media and settings
- Improve and mandate the Health Star Rating system across the packaged food supply
- Explore both the expansion of the OzDafne program (based on cost-effectiveness analysis) as well as professional development programs for endocrinologists, diabetes educators and GPs to increase awareness of the program and referrals
- Improve use and availability of data, in particular pathology and primary care data, to drive insights for monitoring, planning and quality improvement
- Reorientate the food regulatory system so that public health is the central consideration
- Ensure strong procedures are in place to manage and mitigate conflicts of interest. The process for the review of the Australian Dietary Guidelines is a good example
- Invest in and implement a package of policies that address the upstream social determinants of obesity and diabetes, including those set out in section 2.6 of the National Obesity Strategy, relating to income, housing, education, food security and a health in all policies approach
- Develop a National Nutrition Strategy
- Mandate added sugar labelling across the packaged food supply
- Introduce regulation to ensure commercial foods and breastmilk substitutesfor infants and young children provide good nutrition and are promoted in accordance with best practice
- Introduce targeted efforts to increase healthy food consumption, particularly fruit and vegetables (currently only 6% of adult Australians eat an adequate amount of fruit and vegetables [1])
- Empower community to lead change for the benefit of their own health and wellbeing by supporting them to plan and implement evidence-led systems interventions to prevent diabetes and reduce its impact (such as the RESPOND project operating in North East Victoria, described in Parliament by Helen Haines MP on 9 February 2003 [2])
- Invest in social marketing campaigns that are evidence-based and designed to effect behaviour change and increase public support for changes made to the environment
- Increase opportunities for physical activity in line with WHO’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030
What did the Inquiry find?
On 3 July 2024, the findings were published in a 270-page report.
Dr Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott and Prof Jane Speight wrote an article titled: Reflections on the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes Report summarising the outcomes.
Box 2: Summary of Inquiry Recommendations
Wrap up
Like many Australians living with or affected by diabetes, we eagerly awaited the Inquiry findings. If implemented well, several recommendations could enable long overdue and fair access to diabetes technologies and promote a healthier environment for all. This is an opportunity for the Australian Government to take a multi-faceted approach to improving the well-being of all Australians affected by diabetes.
We live in hope. Unfortunately, we also have concerns. In particular, there are no recommendations to help bring an end to diabetes stigma (or weight stigma). In fact, there are several missteps, which will likely fuel both. We are also concerned by the lack of focus on emotional well-being.
Only time will tell if equitable access to diabetes technologies will be realised for Australians with all types of diabetes. Or, whether diabetes stigma will quash that effort. In the meantime, we call on everyone in the diabetes community to minimise the potential for harm. Take the Pledge to end diabetes stigma.
