Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister explain the health impacts of binge drinking and why the government is taking action to combat it?

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

I thank the member for the question. I know that the member for Chisholm, along with many others on this side of the House—and having listened to many of the first speeches by those opposite I must say they are also concerned—are worried about young people and the trends of binge drinking; we have watched it increase. The Prime Minister has already taken the House through the initiatives that were announced yesterday and I think it is important that we spend a little bit of extra time on the impact that binge drinking can have on young people. We are not just talking about young adults here. We are talking about children in some instances—people aged between 12 and 17—and reports that one in 10 in this age group are regularly binge drinking. Hundreds of thousands of children, adolescents and young adults are repeatedly causing damage to their own bodies and to their future health, as well as quite a lot of worry and cost within the community.

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don’t forget middle age binge drinking.

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

It is appropriate for the interjections to be raised about middle age drinking as well. If the member wants to wait until I complete my answer I will be able to deal with the questions that have been raised. We regard this as a very serious issue. We know that alcohol, tobacco and obesity are the three biggest risk factors for three of the biggest killers in the country, whether it be cancer, cardiovascular disease, car accidents or the increasing rate of diabetes. All of us in this House would do well to think about the way we might not only set good examples for young people but also encourage other interventions which will help tackle this serious problem within the community.

We know that some of the immediate health effects can be loss of consciousness, fits and alcohol poisoning and we know of the much more common symptoms of diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. But many people are not aware of the long-term damage that can be caused to the small bowel, the central nervous system, the liver and the brain. This is a serious health problem. For some reason we have seen a massive increase in the number of young people who have taken on binge drinking as their form of entertainment. We all need to be involved in finding the solutions. Government can do a certain amount. The communities which are already actively engaged and the parents who fundamentally need to be involved in the way that we take on and handle this issue—

Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Schultz interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Hume!

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

Mr Speaker, it staggers me that members opposite would think that this is an opportunity for derision. This is a serious health risk for hundreds of thousands of young people in the seats of the shadow minister, the member for Hume and others.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Members opposite clearly are not aware that 72,000 hospitalisations occur every year as a direct result of overconsumption of alcohol. That does not take into account the presentations that result from the long-term effects of excessive consumption of alcohol. So let us understand how serious this problem is. The Rudd Labor government has committed to three initial steps which we believe will make a difference. We want to work with parents and community leaders to help bring about change. We are also going to work with the states and territories and will talk to them about the areas that they have responsibility for. Further, in the coming weeks we will announce our preventative healthcare task force which has been tasked with prioritising the excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco and obesity. It will look at the long-term changes to our healthcare system to make sure that we are sending the message not just to our kids but to the whole community that this serious problem must be dealt with.