For radio presenter Peter Holland, the lack of access to continuous glucose monitors to all patients with diabetes, regardless of type, is personal.
Last year, around half a million Australians celebrated the diabetes parliamentary inquiry recommendation that all Australians living with insulin-dependent diabetes should receive subsidised access to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), a medical device that helps people living with diabetes monitor their blood glucose and alerts them and their loved ones when they get hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia (high and low blood sugar).
For me, this issue is personal.
My daughter and I both have diabetes. She has type 1, I have type 2. We take the same medications, see the same specialists, and manage our conditions the same way. But while she receives full subsidies for medical technology, I don’t.
The result? My diabetes is harder and more expensive to manage.
This isn’t some radical proposal. It is common sense. Countries like Canada, the UK, and France made this change years ago. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for equal treatment.
We’re asking for Australia to catch up. Yet, despite the inquiry’s clear recommendation, the Health Minister’s office has been silent for months and months. Why have an inquiry if we are going to ignore it?
Meanwhile, diabetes remains one of the leading causes of death in this country. It contributes to 1.2 million hospitalisations a year and 11% of all deaths. How many more hospital stays, amputations, and lives lost will it take before the Albanese government takes action?
People like me must pay around $2700 annually to access this life-saving technology. With 75% of Australians living with diabetes struggling to access basic medical services, being able to afford this tool is a pipedream for most, including myself.
This means hundreds of thousands of Australians could potentially have worsening diabetes, leading to a further and much worse burden on our healthcare system.
One of the most damaging myths about type 2 diabetes is that it’s simply a result of poor diet and bad lifestyle choices. While factors like nutrition and physical activity do play a role, the reality is far more complex.
Genetics, socioeconomic status, chronic stress, environmental factors, and even early-life experiences all contribute to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Pointing fingers at individuals for their diagnosis is not just misguided—it’s a convenient distraction from the real culprits: food insecurity, inadequate healthcare access, and an industry that relentlessly pushes ultra-processed foods.
These systemic barriers make prevention and management far more challenging than the oversimplified “eat better, exercise more” narrative suggests.
This myth distracts from the urgent need for structural changes in healthcare and public policy to support those living with the condition. Many people with the condition eat well, exercise regularly, and still require medication to manage their blood sugar.
As a grandfather of six, all I want is more time with my family. But the cost-of-living crisis is squeezing Australians, and for the 310,000 people with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, the extra cost of CGMs is an unfair and unnecessary burden.
The government spends billions each year on medicines to help people who are sick, and rightly so. But the fact they aren’t spending on devices like CGMs that help to stop our diabetes from getting worse beggars belief.
We’re not asking for better treatment, just equal. The government knows what needs to be done. The question is: will they act?
Personally, I have started an online petition to get support for this cause for the hundreds of thousands of Australians living with insulin-dependent diabetes.
There may be someone in your family or community who needs the government to act soon – your support by signing this petition will help to make our voice heard.
Pete Holland is an afternoon radio presenter and commentator living with insulin requiring type 2 diabetes. With a keen interest in diabetes policy and healthcare equity, he uses his platform to challenge misconceptions and push for systemic reforms.
