Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise in support of this motion, and I also thank my colleague the member for Pearce for her longstanding work, commitment and drive on this issue. It is very clear, from what we have seen with the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to adopt Resolution 61/225 that this is a desperately important problem that needs to be worked on. I do not say ‘solved’, because I think that a lot of medical advances are going to be required before we see this solved.

I would like to look at this from a different perspective. I am not going to go into the technical matters to any great degree, but I note that from the year 2010 it is estimated that 1.23 million people in Australia face the potential threat of diabetes. As we know, some 90 per cent of cases of diabetes in this country are type 2—which is heavily influenced by lifestyle. This is something that parents really need to be aware of. As a parent myself, I know that when I ask my children which takeaway food or other food they would like, they will always say fish and chips or some sort of happy meal with some dodgy game in it. But I know that these things need to be for the rare occasion. Certainly I do not think that we should ever be in the position where we continually eat out at the worst of the fast-food places day in and day out; but I know that there are some people who live that sort of life, and that is not good news for the children. As I said before, as parents we need to be aware that these foods should, as a general rule, be avoided but occasionally it is okay. Parents need to set the example. They need to concentrate on the fresh food, vegetables, lean meats—responsible diet options. As it is, we do face a major problem in this country. I know that, like the member for Blair and the member for Pearce, there are some people in my electorate who face the problems of diabetes and who are overweight.

I have noticed in some of the documentation that a man with a waist measurement of 100 centimetres or more is considered to be obese, and I know that I sail close to that line myself—which is a cause for great concern. That is why I like to join the member for Blair down in the gym almost every morning that we are at parliament, apart from when I am out rowing. These things are really important. We need to think about lifestyle. I know that I cannot afford, particularly at my age of 44, to eat fast food regularly, or almost at all—although I do indulge on some occasions. It is a matter of a personal commitment and a personal acknowledgement of what we can do for ourselves, and we all should acknowledge that. We should make sure that our kids are starting off with those right habits, those good habits, of eating well and indulging on fairly rare occasions.

I think it is very important that we acknowledge the limitations we have, that we acknowledge our responsibilities as adults and parents and that we have a commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We should take those opportunities—whether it is before dawn or before work in the mornings or in the evenings—to try and get out there and do a little bit of work, get that exercise going. I am not talking about taking time away from families; but I am talking about maybe trying to add some extra time to the day to live that better lifestyle, eat good food and acknowledge the limitations of our bodies. I think that is the best way forward. We should be living that life and living that example in this place.

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