Australia must center Indigenous voices in genomic newborn screening rollout

As Australia contemplates expanding its newborn screening program to include genomic sequencing, a technology capable of detecting far more conditions than current tests, it confronts a deeper reckoning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples carry the living memory of having their biological material taken, studied, and exploited without consent or community benefit. The promise of earlier diagnosis and better health outcomes is real, but so is the risk that a poorly governed rollout could widen the very inequalities it claims to address. What is being asked of this moment is not merel