Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's common knowledge that from time to time I enjoy a burger, or sometimes two. Eating all of these burgers, in the name of supporting local businesses of the Hunter, sometimes reminds me that it's also important to keep an eye on my weight. While I am an athlete and an Olympian, it is no secret that I am not the same shape as some of the other athletes in the athletes village at the Olympics. And that's okay. Not everyone needs to be lean and ripped like an Olympic sprinter. There's nothing wrong with having a little bit of a dad bod.

But it's very important to be careful about your weight, because obesity is a big issue in Australia. Obesity can bring a whole heap of health issues, like higher risk of developing chronic conditions, including 13 different types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, back pain, chronic kidney disease, dementia, gall bladder disease and osteoarthritis. Most of us could avoid having to deal with these kinds of health challenges if we just lived a little bit healthier and got on top of our weight.

There is no better way to look after your health and to stay on top of your weight than to play sport. This government loves sport, and we have invested a significant amount of money in a range of different areas to help promote sport and to make sure that more Aussies out there are being active and doing what comes naturally to most Australians, which is playing sport. We have committed $2.6 million to increase basketball participation amongst First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse communities and to implement the national Multicultural Program for basketball. This goes alongside $3.1 million over two years to support the legacy of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 by supporting women and girls to participate in football through the MiniRoos for Girls Program and the Girls 12+ Football Your Way Engagement Experience Program, and $4.4 million to the ICC T20 Men's World Cup 2022 to support the implementation of a multicultural, strategic framework, including participation legacy programs.

We've also invested $10.3 million over two years for the Australian Sports Commission to continue delivery of national sport participation programs targeted at populations currently physically inactive or individuals who have dropped out of sport, and $79.6 million over three years to continue the government's flagship sport and physical activity program for children, Sporting Schools, for the 2023 and 2024 school years.

There are also multiple preventive health initiatives which are specifically targeted at promoting healthy weight. These initiatives include the Healthy Food Partnership, Health Star Rating system, sugar labelling, physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines and 24-hour movement guidelines. The National Health and Medical Research Council is currently undertaking a review of the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines to make sure the guidelines are based on current evidence and are up to date.

Being on top of your weight helps you to be on top of your health. We are a government committed to making it easier for Australians to get on top of their health by strengthening Medicare. This commitment includes a $3.5 billion investment to triple the bulk-billing incentive, the largest increase to the incentive in the 40-year history of Medicare. This is a good way to respond to the public health crisis of obesity, because making it easy to see a doctor means we can help more Australians to take actions that promote good health and prevent chronic illnesses which are linked to lifestyle.

Not everyone can be in perfect health and maintain the perfect weight—it's just not practical—but we can all do our bit by being mindful that obesity is a huge issue and keeping an eye on our weight by living a healthier lifestyle. So get out there and play some sport. Make sure you keep an eye out for dietary guidelines and make smarter decisions about what you eat by looking at things like the Health Star Rating. Importantly, if you need some help or advice about your weight or any other health issue, go to see a doctor. It should be a lot easier and cheaper to see them now. Let's all do our bit to live a healthier life and reduce the risks of developing any of the consequences that may come with obesity. We owe it to our loved ones, and we owe it to ourselves. Remember: abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.

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