On 26th July 2007, 40 children with type 1 diabetes visited the South Australian Parliament House to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes and the need for research as the only path to a cure.  Aged between four and eighteen, the children travelled from all across South Australia to spread the message of why a cure is so important to them.

The day started with a Special Parliamentary Sitting held in the House of Assembly, supported by more than 25 Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Council.

Chaired by the Honourable Jack Snelling, MP and Speaker of the House of Assembly, four JDRF Ambassadors Timothy Ducker, 13 years old; Lucy Hamdorf, 10 years old; Josh Brown, 16 years old; and Lorraine Pitman, mother of Thomas, 5 years old, talked about how they cope with the disease, their fears for the future and their dreams about finding a cure.

“The aim of this Special Sitting was to give the delegates the opportunity to raise their voices and share their concerns of living with this devastating disease”, says Sarah Harrison, JDRF Government Programs Manager.

“By the end of their emotional accounts everybody in the House of Assembly was deeply touched by their stories”.

Responding on behalf of the South Australian Government the Honourable Paul Holloway MP, Minister for Police, Resources Development and Urban Development and Planning stressed the importance of raising the public’s awareness of type 1 diabetes and congratulated the delegates and JDRF’s efforts in organising such an eye-opening event at Parliament House.

“I was blown away by Alexandra’s meeting with Ms Lindsay Simmons. Ms Simmons was extremely keen to hear about by daughter’s life with type 1 diabetes and very enthusiastic to help”, says Lynn Lamb, mother to 13 year old Alexandra.

The delegates, their families and Parliamentarians also joined the media event on the steps of Parliament House. While delegates displayed large signs with information about type 1 diabetes and its impact on their lives, the Honourable Russell Wortley MLC officially launched the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group South Australia, a conduit for people affected by diabetes.

The Honourable John Hill MP, Minister for Health, who welcomed the delegates and the media to the Kids in the House event, was impressed by the children’s level of dedication and flattered to receive a special gift by 10 year old Emma Stafford to thank him for his commitment and remind him of the delegate’s need for a cure.    

Kids in the House Canberra 2006

On November 1st 2006, over 100 children with type 1 diabetes visited Parliament House to increase awareness of the chronic nature of diabetes and the need for research as the only path to a cure. The brave children travelled from all around Australia to attend this special day - Kids in the House.

The day opened with Diabetes Life on the Lawn, an impressive display of 15,000 syringes planted in the grass outside Parliament House. This enormous number represents the amount of injections that a person with type 1 diabetes needs every ten years on average.

The confronting display attracted national media attention, which will assist JDRF to increase awareness and understanding of type 1 within the wider community. The Hon. Judi Moylan MP, chair of the Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group, welcomed all the Kids in the House delegates to Parliament House.

In the morning, over 90 of our delegates met with their Members of Parliament and Senators in their parliamentary offices to tell their personal story of living with type 1 and why finding a cure for diabetes and its complications is so crucial.

The Youth Ambassadors enjoyed exploring Parliament House and meeting their elected representatives again, to ask that they Promise to Remember them when making funding decisions for medical research.

Many of these elected representatives joined over 400 others including Youth Ambassadors, other MPs and Senators, event sponsors and stakeholders, for a special JDRF luncheon and presentation in the Great Hall of Parliament House.

Speakers at the Luncheon included;

• The Honourable John Howard MP, Prime Minister of Australia
• Professor Ian Frazer, 2006 Australian of the Year
• Senator Guy Barnett, Senator for Tasmania - Has type 1 diabetes
• Dr Ezio Bonfacio, Head of Immunology of Diabetes Unit and Director, Islet Transplantation Program, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan
• Dr Sue Alberti AM Hon LLD, President, JDRF Australia
• Julianne Crack - Parent of two children with type 1 diabetes
• Gareth Eldershaw - JDRF Youth Ambassador, age 17
• Cassie Garvan - JDRF Youth Ambassador, age 13
• Carrie Forbes - JDRF Youth Ambassador, age 8

JDRF was thrilled to greet the Prime Minister, who welcomed the children to Parliament House and acknowledged the serious nature of type 1 diabetes.

Eight year-old Carrie Forbes performed her duties as MC with charm and confidence, especially when presenting the PM with a framed memento of Kids in the House.

Professor Frazer and Dr Bonifacio gave an insight into the many areas being investigated in the quest to find a cure for type 1.

Senator Barnett talked about his life in Parliament with type 1 diabetes and the support he has received from parliamentary colleagues.

Sue Alberti shared her personal story as a parent of a type 1 sufferer whose life was cut tragically short because of diabetes complications. In a recent sad twist, she has also recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Julianne Crack talked about how heartbreaking it is when diabetes becomes an unwelcome member of the family. Two of the four Crack children suffer from type 1 diabetes.

Youth Ambassadors Gareth, Cassie and Carrie stood before the large crowd and bravely shared their personal stories, some hopeful, some sad.

All attendees walked away from Kids in the House with a better understanding of the need for a cure for this unrelenting disease.

The day concluded when delegates attended Question Time in the House of Representatives, where the Health Minister, the Hon. Tony Abbott MP, pointed out their presence to the other MPs.

What people said about Kids in the House:

"The day was certainly memorable and I know my colleagues were extremely touched by their meetings with the youth ambassadors" the Hon. Judi Moylan MP, Chair, Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group.

"Having been presented with the Commemorative Program, I certainly feel for all those out there with type 1 diabetes. Continuing funding for this important research is very necessary." The Hon. Alex Somlyay MP, Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group

"(I want to acknowledge) Professor Ian Fraser, who is of course the Australian of the Year and is also a Ryan resident, in the parliament today to support the Kids in the House program. This is run by a very important organisation in this country which promotes awareness of diabetes in Australia. In the parliament this morning I had the great pleasure of meeting many of those young Australians who suffer from diabetes." - Mr Michael Johnson MP.

On Thursday 11 May, forty three children from electorates across Queensland converged on Parliament House in Brisbane to educate Queensland politicians about type 1 diabetes and ask for their support in finding a cure.

The JDRF Youth Ambassadors - aged between 2 and 17 - participated in the first ever Kids in the House event to take place in Queensland.

During their visit, the children met with over 35 politicians including Health Minister, Stephen Robertson; Opposition Leader, Lawrence Springborg; Education Minister, Rod Welford; and Attorney-General, Linda Lavarch.

The group spoke with the politicians about living with type 1 diabetes and explained why a cure is so important. They also 'planted' 1,460 syringes in the Speaker's Lawn to represent the number of needles they will receive over a year if a cure for diabetes is not found.

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