With their help, my understanding of this issue has enabled me to push hard for supportive policy in this area.

That’s why I was delighted this week that Labor announced that a future Shorten Labor Government will provide a record boost for Type 1 diabetes research, investing $50 million in clinical trials and supporting our best and brightest researchers in their quest for a cure for Australian children.

Labor will extend funding for the JDFR’s Clinical Research Network (CRN), an effort we established in 2010, which takes research where it’s needed most – directly to the people living with this chronic disease.

More than 120,000 Australians have Type 1 diabetes, and in Eden-Monaro the number of people fighting this battle is higher than the national rate – Labor has a proud record of supporting them. This announcement is all about helping kids living with diabetes and finding a cure to protect them in the future.

We have already seen the great benefits of this funding. For example, 1500 people with type 1 diabetes are accessing new therapies and enhanced care, 1400 families are engaged in a world-leading prevention project and we are getting benchmarking of clinical outcomes for over 10,000 patients. So it is crucial that this funding continues.

Labor’s extra funding would allow the CRN to enter phase three of its mission, which would involve:

•  Increasing the volume and impact of type 1 diabetes clinical trials;

•  Translating research findings into new technologies and treatments; and

•  Supporting Australia’s world-class type 1 diabetes researchers in their bid to find a cure.

Labor believes in making health care affordable and accessible to all Australians, and in the power of health and medical research to achieve breakthroughs that improve lives.

Our Labor team is working hard on our plan for a fair go for you and your family, and a fair go for Eden-Monaro.