About
Diabetes Australia’s history can be traced back to 1938 with the creation of the Diabetic Association of Australia, making it the third oldest diabetes organisation in the world. In 2021, Diabetes Australia further strengthened its reach and focus with multiple state diabetes bodies unifying with the peak body of Diabetes Australia, to maximise organisational impact and enable increased support for people affected by, or at risk of, diabetes.
Through leadership, prevention, management and research, Diabetes Australia is committed to reducing the impact of diabetes. The organisation works in partnership with diabetes health professionals and educators, researchers and healthcare providers to minimise the impact of diabetes on the Australian community. Diabetes Australia has administered the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) on behalf of the Australian Government since its inception in 1987. Through the NDSS, Diabetes Australia provides self-management products, support, information and programmes to over 1.5 million people living with diabetes.
Diabetes Australia has over 175,000 individual members. Having such credibility as a national voice allows for the translation of knowledge and evidence into advocacy and impact.
Diabetes Australia also has national healthcare professional organisation members, including the Australian Diabetes Society, the Australian Diabetes Educators Association, the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society and Perth Diabetes Care.
Diabetes Australia is proud to be a host of the IDF Western Pacific Region Conference 2026 in Melbourne, in partnership with the Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association.
Main Focus
Diabetes Australia is a national organisation with local connections. It works in partnership with people living with diabetes, healthcare professionals and researchers.
Strategic priorities:
- Champion: listen to the diabetes community to amplify their voice and champion the diabetes cause to drive change.
- Change: advocate for and deliver priorities that have the biggest impact on changing people’s lives and the health system.
- Connect: collaborate locally, nationally and internationally; connecting people with lived experience of diabetes, healthcare and other care professionals with research and evidence to support change.
- Care: be a trusted diabetes services provider; developing and delivering support, coordinated care, locally and nationally, in partnership with other diabetes organisations to change people’s lives.
- Cure: lead the agenda, grow funding for and commission research and data to build the evidence for change to prevent, treat and cure diabetes.
Activities
As a leader, Diabetes Australia administers the NDSS on behalf of the Australian Government, and advocates on issues affecting people living with diabetes in Australia. We also support the Parliamentary Friends of Diabetes group in the Australian Parliament.
As a trusted source of information, we offer programmes and services to prevent type 2 diabetes and support management of the condition.
As a strong supporter of research, we work to develop the field of diabetes research by providing funding towards the prevention, management and cure for diabetes through the Diabetes Australia Research Program. We are also a co-founder of the Australian Diabetes Clinical Trials Network.
Some recent initiatives:
- Unite for Tech campaign
- Diabetes Research Changes Lives campaign
- Support for Australia’s Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes