One day in 1997, when he and his family should have been celebrating his wife’s birthday, Guy Barnett’s life changed abruptly: having been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he took his first injection of insulin. Despite feelings of fear and frustration, he and his family decided to confront his diabetes – head on. Since then, he has worked within the Australian diabetes community. After entering the Australian Senate in February 2002, he joined other Members of Parliament to form the Australian Parliamentary Diabetes Support Group. In this article, Guy Barnett, a Senator in the Australian Parliament, describes the potential benefits of effective partnerships, and makes a call for the wider involvement of diabetes organizations in the political process.