In Australia, every newborn baby is offered a screening test for 34 serious but treatable conditions (or groups of conditions), such as cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy. The test uses a small blood sample taken from the baby’s heel. Finding these conditions early can save lives and prevent disability.

In the future, sequencing the DNA of newborns as part of a genomic newborn screening program could allow the detection of many more conditions, potentially improving the health of more children. Over time, genetic data may also help scientists better understand diseases and develop new treatments.

However, these benefits will only happen if genomic screening tests are used in ways that are ethical, safe and equitable.

But Indigenous people around the world (including in Australia) have experienced exclusion, unfair treatment and misuse of biological samples and data in genetic research.

So as Australia considers adding genomics to newborn screening it is crucial to include the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We do not want these past mistakes to impact the opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to benefit from this type of screening.

Research into genomic newborn screening is happening in Australia and around the world. One province in Italy has already started using it to diagnose disease. The United Kingdom plans to implement universal newborn genomic screening by the end of 2035.

But there are still questions to answer before it can be introduced in Australia, including:

should we only include conditions that affect........

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