The Albanese Government has introduced legislation to give Australians the confidence to undertake genetic testing without worrying about the effect on their access to affordable life insurance.
Genetic testing saves lives. Australians should not be discouraged from undertaking genetic testing out of fear it may impact their ability to get insurance.
The new legislation bans the use of adverse genetic tests in life insurance underwriting and will apply to life insurance contract decisions made on or after the date of commencement.
The introduction follows extensive consultation with community members, medical practitioners, genetic researchers, and insurance providers.
Medical practice is moving forward in leaps and bounds, and genetic testing is one of the areas where this is most prominent and impactful.
It supports medical practitioners to prevent, diagnose, treat and monitor a range of cancers, cancer predisposition syndromes and other heritable conditions.
Some people aren't getting tested because they're concerned about the impacts of the results of those tests on the affordability and accessibility of life insurance.
This legislation has broad support across the Parliament and will make a meaningful difference to people's lives.
