The changes will require new laws to pass parliament. While insurers will be banned from asking for genetic test results, people will be able to provide their results if they choose. The ban will be reviewed every five years in case there are unintended consequences.

The life insurance industry welcomed the government’s intervention, having operated for years without certainty.

Christine Cupitt, chief executive of the Council of Australian Life Insurers, said insurers had not wanted to discourage people from making informed choices about their health. She said a lot had changed since the industry tried to create its own standards in 2019.

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“Five years on, genetic testing is becoming more common in our community, cheaper to access and increasingly helping people manage or even avoid hereditary conditions. Now is the time for strict government regulation,” she said.

“[We] fully support this announcement. It’s good for working Australians, it’s good for government, and it’s good for industry too.”

Dr Jane Tiller, an adviser in public health genomics at Monash University who has been advocating for a ban, said the changes would safeguard the future of genomic medicine, precision health and medical research in Australia.

“This policy reform will provide certainty to consumers and allow Australians to make genetic testing decisions based on their health rather than fears of financial discrimination,” he said.

Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson said it was “fantastic news” for Australians, who would now be able to access potentially life-saving medical testing.

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