Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, I am pleased to present the committee’s report entitled Weighing it up: obesity in Australia, together with the minutes of proceedings.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

This report seeks to make a positive contribution to the debate about obesity in Australia and recommends ways to move from debate to action on this issue. The recommendations are presented to parliament and will also inform the national preventative health strategy, which sees tackling obesity as one of its priority areas. The latest National Health Survey figures released last month found that 68 per cent of adult men and 55 per cent of adult women are overweight or obese. Similarly high are the latest statistics on childhood obesity, which indicate that 7.8 per cent of children were considered obese. These figures reinforce the continually emerging data about the high and growing level of obesity in Australia. These figures indicate a significant personal, economic and social cost. Access Economics estimated the total annual cost of obesity in 2008 to be $58.2 billion. Of this total, the direct financial costs account for $8.3 billion, with a net cost of lost wellbeing amounting to a further $49.9 billion. These costs underpin the imperative for action.

The committee believes that individuals have the right to take responsibility for their own weight, but the inquiry has highlighted that the modern environment in which we live can make weight loss extremely difficult. The report outlines 20 recommendations which the committee believes will address the structural problems in our environment which currently encourage obesity. The inquiry heard concern about the lack of current and up-to-date data of the costs and prevalence of obesity and has made recommendations to address these data gaps. A number of witnesses called for changes to the health system to better treat and manage Australians who are overweight or obese. The committee has made recommendations that could achieve this.

There are a number of Australians who are already morbidly obese and whose treatment options are limited. The committee heard strong evidence about the effectiveness of bariatric surgery for those whose previous attempts at weight loss have failed. The committee is wary of recommending people have open slather access to bariatric surgery, but nevertheless argues that access to publicly funded bariatric surgery should be improved for those patients who meet appropriate clinical guidelines.

There is also significant community concern about the role of industry and its contribution to the rate of obesity in Australia. The committee heard evidence about the need for more stringent food labelling, re-formulation of food products and food advertising. Changes in these areas can have benefits, and the committee has recommended that industry be encourage to make changes initially through self-regulation and working closely with all tiers of government.

The committee has been pleased by the interest in the inquiry and believes that there is real momentum in the community for action to reverse the high levels of obesity. We have seen that there is already significant action occurring within communities across Australia, and these actions should be harnessed as part of the response to obesity in Australia. The committee hopes that this report goes some way to highlighting that.

In conclusion, I am pleased some of my colleagues from the committee are here tonight. I would like to thank members of the committee, the deputy chair of the committee, Steve Irons, and all those who contributed to this inquiry, all the witnesses who put in submissions and gave evidence to the committee. I would also like to thank the secretariat staff for their efforts throughout the inquiry process, in particular James Catchpole, the committee secretary, who is here tonight at the table; Sara Edson, the inquiry secretary; and Penny Wijnberg and Dr Narelle McGlusky, the senior research officers of the committee. They did magnificent work and worked tirelessly to produce this report. Also I would like to thank Heather Witham from my office and Lilia Bednarek, who earlier on assisted me with the committee. I commend the report to the House.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to respond to the speech of the Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing on the report Weighing it up: obesity in Australia. I endorse the chair’s comments and acknowledge his efforts during the inquiry. As I only joined the committee in November 2008, at which time the inquiry had been established for seven months, I also acknowledge the previous deputy chair of the committee, the member for Menzies, Mr Kevin Andrews. I also acknowledge the other committee members, some of whom are in the chamber tonight, who participated in this inquiry into what is seen as an increasing problem in Australia—the level of obesity amongst adults and children of our nation.

I acknowledge the committee secretariat for the work and support they provided to the committee: the committee secretary, Mr James Catchpole; the committee inquiry secretary, Ms Sara Edson; and the committee senior research officer, Ms Penny Wijnberg. The committee took evidence from all over Australia. I know the trips I participated in were well organised with plenty of activities and meetings. I remember seeing a small look of trepidation on the faces of Ms Edson and Ms Wijnberg when returning from Wilcannia to Broken Hill as we flew through a dust storm.

This report has 20 recommendations, ranging from urging the government to continue supporting existing programs, such as the Active After-school Communities program and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, through to recommending the development and implementation of the healthy food code of good practice. It has the potential to see some action being taken towards reducing obesity in Australia. While the report recognises that individuals are ultimately responsible for their own health and wellbeing, the inquiry has highlighted that the modern environment in which we all live can make weight loss very difficult. It is stated in chapter 6 of the report that any strategy to successfully combat the growing problem of obesity will need to include community involvement and programs that are community centred.

All three levels of government will need to be involved and the support of any groups within the community that run programs that are designed to encourage community participation, such as the Wellington Tonne program that we heard about in Broken Hill. During the inquiry, we saw a council program on the Gold Coast that involved people from the local community participating in Tai Chi classes on the reserve next to this beach. This should be a lead for other councils around Australia. They should look at what this council has done. I do not know if the member for Kingston has recovered from the strain on her hamstrings from that session yet.

Many areas were covered in this report. As the chair mentioned, the personal, economic and social costs to Australia from obesity place stress on our community and health services in all areas and underpin the need for action. Many people have different and varying views on this subject, extending from the simplistic solution of increasing breastfeeding rates in Australia from 19 per cent to over 50 per cent to help fight obesity and other chronic illnesses in our society to another simple act of reducing our intake of fructose. The community awareness of this societal problem is increasing and we must continue to alert all Australians to the benefit of a healthy lifestyle. Personally, I tried fructose reduction in my diet and six months later I am 10 kilograms lighter. I thank David Gillespie for presenting that bit of evidence and his book Sweet Poison to the committee.

On the matter of submissions to the inquiry, I must congratulate all the groups, associations, businesses and individuals who presented to the committee. The individuals who had the courage to tell their stories were fantastic, and I mention the member for Lyons, Mr Dick Adams, who spoke of his experiences.

As the chair said in his statement, the report touches on bariatric surgery, which is the surgical reduction of the stomach and includes lap band surgery and gastric bypass. I do not have firsthand knowledge of this surgery but have spoken with people who have. The reports are positive, but again, as the chair stated, the committee is wary of giving open slather access to bariatric surgery. We must all treat the causes of the symptom, as obesity is not actually a disease but a result of the person’s environment, lifestyle and eating habits. A holistic approach should be taken.

The chair stated in his speech that a number of witnesses called for changes to be made to the health system to better treat and manage Australians who are overweight or obese. I believe that the committee has made recommendations in this report that will put Australia on the pathway to achieving reduction in obesity levels in Australia. Recommendation 10 of the report states that the committee recommends that the Treasurer and the Minister for Health and Ageing investigate the use of tax incentives to improve the affordability of fresh, healthy food and access to physical activity programs for all Australians, particular in rural and remote areas.

In conclusion, I hope that this report contributes to the bettering of our lifestyles and health in Australia. I commend the report to the House.

Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 39, the debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.