Page 2135 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 August 2014
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That is just one example of a very innovative and forward-looking project that is possible. As I said, as the new Minister for Sport and Recreation, I will be looking at other innovative projects and making sure that we continue to keep sport and recreation a strong part of our community, not just for the social benefits but for the obvious health benefits.
In terms of the broader issue of the impacts of obesity and people being overweight, it is vital that we address the increasing occurrence of childhood obesity and chronic illness. The Greens have a very strong preventive health agenda, and active living and healthy lifestyles are a major part of this. We have been pleased to see that it has also been a growing area in health policy in the ACT and more generally across Australia.
It is of huge concern that almost half of Canberra’s children are not within a healthy weight range, and that this trend increases into adulthood. Obesity is becoming a major health crisis in our community, with 25 per cent of children and 63.3 per cent of adults in the ACT now classed as overweight or obese, compared to just 22.9 per cent of adults in 1995. That is an extraordinary change in the statistics in a period of just under 20 years. It will place a huge burden on our health system later down the track, and can lead to serious health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and breathing problems. That is all very scientific and academic, but it really just means that there is a reduction in the quality of life for people. That is where, for me, this issue is critically important. It is not only the economic issues, the health issues and the lifespan issues; it is actually about quality of life.
We know that we could reduce the pressure on our health system if we could reduce the incidence of disease and injury in the ACT which stems from chronic and preventable conditions related to inactive lifestyles and obesity. A key plank to achieving this is through implementing proactive preventive health measures. The Greens’ focus on early intervention in mental and dental health, as well as preventive health initiatives around diet, nutrition and physical activity, is about making the health system focus more on people’s overall wellbeing and reducing pressure on the acute health system.
According to the ACT Health Council, obesity is the biggest threat to the ACT’s high life expectancy, and changes in food purchasing habits need to occur if we are to improve our society’s health. The Greens understand that to do this we need to support children and families to eat healthier foods. The Greens have been pushing for many reforms in this area, for children specifically. I would like to touch on a few of those ideas today.
To improve the health of all students, we would like to see greater emphasis on protecting children from targeted junk food advertising, improving school canteens, expanding breakfast clubs and creating more school gardens.
The Greens understand that the public school canteens are becoming increasingly complex to run and manage. This is due in part to fewer parents having time to devote to volunteering and the increased work of complying with new policies. We also know that many school canteens across the country are ill-equipped to provide fresh and healthy food, with only “heat and serve” facilities and insufficient fridges and cooking areas.
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