Phoebe Lynch is a mother of two who lives in Melbourne.
She's on constant alert because her six year old son Owen has food allergies to dairy, peanuts and eggs.
She says the family's life is consumed by the protective measures they have to take.
This kind of hyper-vigilance is a fact of life for many Australian families.
In fact, according to federal assistant health minister Ged Kearney.
"Australia has the dubious credit of actually having the highest level of allergies in the world."
Better treatment is exactly what the federal government says it wants to support.
It's announced $26.9 million in funding to create a national Allergy Council - and the country's first national research centre.
But a new model of care may be frustrated by the lack of experienced allergy specialists to manage ongoing treatment.
Ged Kearney says they're in short supply.
