Damian Hale (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Oxley for putting this motion before the chamber. I am delighted to speak in support of the points he has made. Chronic disease is one of our country’s most critical health challenges. Statistics tell us that more than half our population suffers from some form of chronic or long-term condition. With that sort of number, I would suggest that everyone in this place has been personally impacted by chronic disease. I know I have. I have had very good mates in Darwin die as a result of having a chronic disease—heart disease, diabetes and cancer. A good mate of mine is currently battling with chronic kidney disease. I played footy with this bloke. He is a great guy. He has a wife and young family and my thoughts are with him whilst he goes through his personal battle.

The impact of chronic and long-term conditions on the sufferers, their families, their friends and their colleagues is devastating. It is life changing. It turns your world upside down and it turns everyone’s world upside down. Major chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, depression and cancer all have devastating impacts. The life expectancy of children in Australia today could be cut by two years if current levels of obesity and people being overweight continue. The Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance suggest that chronic illness accounts for nearly half of the burden of disease and injury in Australia and costs the healthcare system well over $12 billion dollars each year.

A recent report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that chronic diseases are associated with more days off work and/or with being out of the workforce altogether. While Australia is a healthy country by international standards, around 32 per cent of the nation’s illness is caused by tobacco, obesity, harmful and high use of alcohol, physical inactivity, poor diet and associated risk factors of high blood pressure and cholesterol. Facts like this underline the urgency and importance of taking preventative action to ensure a healthy future for all Australians.

It is widely accepted that the basics of our health system are strong, including the high-quality training of our hardworking and dedicated health professionals. But there are significant inequalities in our health system that leave fellow Australians in lower socioeconomic circumstances more susceptible to chronic disease, in particular Indigenous Australia.

Statistics prove that Indigenous Australians make up a population of individuals who are young and growing and who face different demographic challenges to other Australians. It is also a population facing unacceptable levels of disadvantage in living standards, education, health and employment. The difference in life expectancy is a shocking statistic. That is why I am proud that our government has committed $805 million over four years to the national partnership agreements on closing the gap in Indigenous health outcomes. Figures released today show that life expectancy differs by 11.5 years in men and 9.7 years in women.

The major investment aims to prevent and better manage chronic disease by tackling risk factors, improve management in our primary care, improve follow-up care and increase the capacity to deliver effective health care to Indigenous Australians. Part of this funding will be used to improve access to renal dialysis services for remote communities in the Northern Territory. This government is working closely with our NT colleagues to implement this initiative in a phased approach and it is vitally important that we do, because in the Northern Territory Aboriginal people have an incidence of end stage renal disease 28 times higher than that of non-Indigenous Australians. That is why am proud to be part of a government that is prepared to take action on chronic disease.

Our government, particularly the Minister for Health and Ageing, is very serious about tackling childhood obesity. The fight against the obesity epidemic starts with our children, and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden project is an innovative and practical way of getting children involved. This project tackles childhood obesity by giving children hands-on experience in healthy eating. It was both a pleasure and an honour to open a demonstration site at Alawa Primary School last year with the very hardworking Minister for Health and Ageing

It was fantastic the other week when our minister announced that the Rudd government will invest a massive $85 million into health projects for the people of Darwin and the Northern Territory, health projects that will build on the Rudd government’s investment of $19 million for an oncology facility and $10 million for a GP superclinic at Palmerston, and I am happy to report both are progressing well. Because of the failures of the previous Liberal government to plan for the future of the health system and despite the major challenges of the budget caused by the global recession, health and ageing remains a top priority for our government. The Rudd government is investing in the whole health system across the whole country to deliver better health outcomes for Australians, no matter where they live. I commend this motion to the House.

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