Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) obesity is a public health crisis;

(b) today about 14 million Australians, or two in three adults, are overweight or obese;

(c) the Class III category (body mass index of 40 or higher) has seen the highest relative growth during the past decade;

(d) according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in four children aged five to 17 years are either overweight or obese and one in two young people aged 18 to 24 are overweight or obese;

(e) vulnerable sections of our community, such as First Nations Australians, Australians living in regional and remote areas, and older Australians aged 65 to 74 are particularly affected; and

(f) Australians living with obesity are at a far higher risk of developing chronic conditions, including at least 13 different forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, back pain, chronic kidney disease, dementia, gallbladder disease, gout and osteoarthritis;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) overweight and obesity are among the highest contributors to disease burden in Australia;

(b) by addressing obesity, benefits will be realised in multiple areas of the healthcare system and economy;

(c) despite the implementation of well-intentioned preventative health measures, more is needed to combat the surge of overweight and obesity rates;

(d) new pharmacotherapies for obesity have the potential to be a real game changer in the fight against obesity; and

(e) the former Government developed the first National Obesity Strategy and remains committed to policy that halts the rise and reverses the trend in the prevalence of obesity in adults; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) elevate obesity as a National Health Priority Area; and

(b) ensure pharmaceutical therapies that have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration can be made available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to Australians as an additional tool against overweight and obesity, alongside a healthy and balanced diet and a regular exercise routine.

Obesity is an extremely complex health condition. It's a global issue with rates steadily increasing since the 1970s, as you would be aware, when obesity was uncommon. Alarmingly, in most regions across the world, there are now more people that are overweight than there are, in fact, underweight. Australia is not immune from this global health crisis. In fact, we have one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. Based on 2021 data, across OECD countries, Australia has the fourth-highest population of men and ninth-highest proportion of females living with obesity. This equates to around 14 million Australians living with overweight or obesity. Let's unpack this a little further: that's one in four children, two in three adults, and one in two young people aged between 18 and 24. Alarmingly, modelling is suggesting that the incidence of obesity will continue to increase over coming decades.

Living with obesity significantly impacts a person's life. It's not simply the mechanical stress and the limitations placed on the body carrying that extra weight. Being overweight or obese also results in serious health consequences. In fact, these conditions are amongst the highest contributors to disease and the disease burden within our country. Those living with obesity are at far higher risk of developing chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, back pain, chronic kidney disease, issues with reproductive functioning, dementia, gall bladder disease, gout, osteoarthritis and at least 13 different forms of cancer. If you overlay these serious health conditions with the impact on mental health, social interactions and employment opportunities, it is clear that obesity limits the opportunity for one to live a full and complete life. As a government, we must do more to combat the unabated surge of overweight and obesity in our community.

In March 2022, the former coalition government developed the first National Obesity Strategy. This strategy acknowledges the root causes of overweight and obesity are incredibly complex and deeply embedded in the way we live our lives. The work undertaken to produce the National Obesity Strategy was a crucial first step. I call on this government to continue this important work and to evaluate obesity as a health priority area. Stemming the rise of obesity will only be achieved through collaboration across all stakeholders, all levels of government, all non-government organisations, communities and businesses alike. We must embrace all the tools that we have at our disposal, put everything on the table, and focus on innovation and emerging technologies alongside lifestyle interventions.

Finally, as the shadow assistant minister for health, it is always an absolute pleasure to sit down with our industry leaders, our experts, our brightest and our best who have dedicated their lives to advocating for, and improving the health outcomes of, all Australians. Similar to the treatment for other chronic diseases, I'm being told that we need to embrace tools beyond lifestyle interventions to deliver better health outcomes for those battling overweight or obesity. These medications, in conjunction with lifestyle interventions, must form part of ongoing treatment for this terrible condition.

We know that obesity disproportionately affects vulnerable sections of our community, including our First Nations Australians, our Australians living in regional and remote areas and older Australians alike—those least able to afford the full cost of emerging medical treatments for obesity. I therefore urge this government to ensure that medications that have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration are listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as a matter of priority, to reflect the urgent nature of this health crisis. Unless the federal government takes the lead on this and plays its part, then we'll never combat the unabated surge of overweight and obesity in our communities.

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