It is a not-for-profit organisation originally mandated as an extended support group for people with diabetes, but also invests in research, health services, provision of self–management products and services, public awareness programs, and the development of national policies about diabetes.
Diabetes organisations for South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria were later formed in the 1950s, intended as "self-help organisations aiming to improve the lives of people with diabetes through practical guidance and public education".
The inaugural conference was held in October 1957 and was addressed by the federal health minister Donald Cameron.
[3] Ruby Board, a prominent diabetic and women's activist, was elected as the inaugural president.
The DFA began publishing a quarterly journal soon after its creation, initially named The Diabetic and later renamed Conquest in 1959 and Circle in 2015.