Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I will answer those contributions from several members at once, starting with the last, because I think the member for Blair in a very personal way is highlighting why this is such a serious problem that the government is trying to tackle. I am glad that the member for North Sydney is here to hear this. I am sure that, despite the posturing on some of these issues, he and all other members of the House do understand that this is a problem that many parents are very worried about. It is a problem that many sporting groups and clubs are worried about for their participants. It is something that those who work in emergency departments of our hospitals are worried about. I want to reassure the member for Blair and others in this House that with this binge-drinking campaign we have no intention of giving millions and millions of dollars to the major sporting clubs, who by and large run campaigns and training programs themselves for their own members.

We have already allocated some portion of that money, $2 million I think, to ensure that the club champions process means that we can identify leaders that many young kids respond to and look up to to be the champions for drinking in a sensible fashion. We will use them, no doubt amongst many other people, in our advertising campaign because they are such influential figures in setting standards and are looked up to by many children across the country. But we absolutely take the point that you have raised that getting this money down to the grassroots is where we can have an impact. One of the things that the national campaign will do is invest more than $5 million in the Good Sports program, which was a very successful initiative in Victoria and which we are seeking to roll out now across the country. It is about going through your local club and looking at the things that make it a safe and healthy environment for kids, right down to whether you win a slab of beer in the raffle or whether you win something that might be more appropriate to set an example for young people. And these are capacity-building projects. They do not require ongoing funding; they need funding so that the key volunteers, the mums and dads who run those support networks for clubs, are trained. Once trained, the capacity is there for them to assist others and set good examples. We understand that we have to do this at a community level as well as at a national level with campaigning.

The other nearly $7 million is going to be targeted towards community initiatives that are nothing to do with sport. Of course a lot of projects, whether they are run by local councils or others, can benefit. Sending a message to our young people can provide support about ways they can entertain themselves in a healthy environment, ways they can protect themselves from peer group pressure and other things that might lead them to excessive drinking. There will be a process for ensuring that all members are able to participate in encouraging their local clubs and parent committees at schools, for example, and others have already expressed interest in being part of this project. Again, we will be focused primarily on capacity building—how you can provide money that will mean that key staff or volunteers are well trained, that they are able to do an audit of all their activities—and making sure that the environment does not contribute to trends of binge drinking. We are very excited about that project. The Minister for Sport, when she addresses the water safety issue that the member for Macarthur raised, may want to add more on this issue.

Can I also say that it is good and, I am sure, difficult to hear the personal stories that people have about being affected by alcoholism. We should not trivialise this. We know the extent of the problem and we have to be prepared to take a very comprehensive approach. I hope that the member for North Sydney, when he gets over arguing against the increase in the excise on alcopops, will take seriously this range of other initiatives, which are a real opportunity to make a difference in our community.

I want to comment also on the issues that were raised about the Northern Territory because I think that they are really important, as the member for Solomon has flagged. In Palmerston, having access to GPs after hours has been an issue that has been a problem for many, many years. Our government is determined to provide up to $10 million to make sure that that becomes a reality for those families. We are working very closely with the Northern Territory government. We are also working closely with the Danila Dilba Indigenous service. There is some capacity potentially for us to look at co-locating services, and as well we are very much engaged in discussions with the defence community, who have some special health needs that are not always well served by the existing facilities. I think there is an opportunity for us to use this program in a very innovative way to benefit those families in Palmerston who have been missing out on services and who desperately need them.

See this speech in context