Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very happy to talk about a move to turn around the health and wellbeing of my patch on the north-west coast of Tassie. Unfortunately my region does not have good health indicators. Indeed, a Tasmanian population health survey of 2009 revealed that 56.5 per cent of the people in my region were overweight or obese. Despite having some fantastic local produce, which you have heard me talk about in this place many times before, some 89 per cent of people in Braddon do not eat enough vegetables and nearly 51 per cent do not eat enough fruit. We are also above the state average for smoking, risky alcohol consumption, heart disease and so forth. That is why the Healthy Communities Initiative of this Labor government has been so welcome in my neck of the woods—and some 24 projects are now underway.

I would like to congratulate the Cradle Coast Authority, particularly Bev Hayhurst, a dynamic organiser in this program, for being successful in getting $410,000 in pilot project funding to put into effect the Healthy Communities Initiative on the coast. I would like to share some details of these projects. At Latrobe, they set up a project involving exercise and dance classes for residents in an aged-care facility, and they will be holding a dance on St Patrick’s Day. This not only gave them a range of activities but has also become a major fundraiser. The funds raised have been used to buy equipment and to put in raised beds for a community garden at the facility, which will have its own benefits for the residents.

In Circular Head, at the western end of the electorate, through Job Services Australia, a small group of long-term unemployed people were part of a 10-week course of two-hour sessions on nutrition. They cooked healthy meals on a budget, developed basic health literacy and did community gardening and exercise. With each of the cooking components, they did half an hour’s exercise as well. They have now set up a walking group under the Heart Foundation banner. So that is fantastic. They also kicked off the ‘Balance Your Life’ project, which signed up more than 300 people to a program of community exercise events subsidised by the fantastic council there.

At nearby Wynyard a group of families have been part of what they call ‘Wheelin’ Wynyard’, a school holiday project to get people out on their bikes and riding together. One local man with a talent for bicycle repairs has been part of the project, and it looks like he may establish a small business. A number of other adults have had assistance to get out on their bikes, often with their kids, for the very first time.

At the lovely little town of Waratah, a small former mining town, the project has organised regular exercise sessions for the region, which also include workshops on nutrition and eating on a budget in a remote community. The City of Burnie is working towards the Burnie Challenge and has enlisted the help of Commando Steve, from the Biggest Loser television program, to stage an obstacle course competition. Local personal trainers are part of the lead-up to the event in April and have been offering free cross-training to those in the target group.

Further to the east, in Devonport, they are looking for a fresh start with its events, which are part of the Healthy Living Expo and will combine low-impact physical activity, health awareness and cost-effective healthy cooking. They are also planning ‘From Garden to the Plate’, which will develop a small group program for up to 16 people to meet for about three hours over 10 weeks. They will learn a variety of skills around healthy cooking and be part of caring for a garden bed at the community garden.

The people on the mighty west coast are clocking up the kilometres in ‘Swim the West Coast’, where individuals or teams are being encouraged to register and record kilometres swum at the region’s community pools. The winning team or individual with the highest combined kilometres will win a season ticket to their local pool for the coming season.

The central coast is working with the North-West Environment Centre and the Penguin Sustainable Living Centre to coordinate a sustainable living festival. This will be followed by a series of workshops to teach garden skills, cooking skills and nutrition skills at the community garden. On King Island they are ‘Going for Gold or Growing Old Living Dangerously’, which involves exercise and activities for over 50s. As you can see, it is a fantastic program that is well piloted in the north-west coast of Tasmania. (Time expired)