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

Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two-thirds of Australian adults now live with overweight or obesity and 25 per cent of Australian children aged two to 17 are either overweight or obese. This is a public health crisis. Being overweight or obese is a substantial risk factor for many conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. It's a public health issue because, while the impact of being obese or overweight is borne by individuals, it is a society-wide issue with causes that impact all of us to some degree.

The rate of Australians who are either overweight or obese has risen since the 1970s, and there are two major changes we have seen at the society level that are linked to this. The first is the rise of energy-dense and nutrient-poor food. While we point the finger at fast food and highly processed food, there are also foods that we might otherwise consider to be relatively healthy which have additional fats, sugars and salt added to increase shelf life and taste. This is compounded by the fact that, as we become more time-poor, we are less likely to have the time to source and cook fresh, healthy food, the nutrient-rich and lower energy food that our bodies need.

The second change is that we are increasingly a more sedentary society. While we used to get a lot of incidental activity in our lifestyles, many of us now spend more time sitting at work and leisure and, instead of walking places, we're more likely to drive even short distances.

Addressing overweight or obesity generally does require lifestyle change, which sounds so easy but really isn't because we're asking individuals to make ongoing changes in their lifestyles, not just do a one-off activity that once done stays done. We're asking people to make a different choice in terms of their diet and activity levels all day, every day. This happens in the context of the society we live in, the choices that are put in front of us every day and the pressures and activities that each individual needs to fulfil to meet their other obligations to family and to work.

It's helpful to have a team on your side. A local GP can be a great support in making and continuing changes as well as monitoring general health. The Albanese government is strengthening Medicare, making it cheaper and easier to see a GP so that Australians have support to take actions that promote good health. The recent tripling of the bulk-billing incentive is an important part of that and one that I know has been very welcomed in Boothby. We have also introduced a new Medicare rebate for consultations of 60 minutes or longer. This enables doctors to provide intensive support to people with complex needs, such as those who are overweight or obese.

We have made additional investments to support primary health networks to improve access for multicultural communities, and we're updating the 2013 clinical practice guidelines for the management of overweight and obesity to reflect current research. We have invested in incentive payments for healthcare providers to deliver wraparound tailored care to keep patients with complex conditions healthy in the community.

But addressing overweight and obesity is not just an issue for the health system. We need broader societal measures. So we are collaborating with the food industry to make positive changes in their products, such as food reformulations and appropriate portion sizes. We have asked Food Standards Australia and New Zealand to review nutritional labelling around added sugars to empower consumers to make the right choice for themselves.

The other part of the puzzle is activity levels. We're investing in services such as Reclink, which provides a fun sport and recreation program for disadvantaged Australians, because having fun is part of maintaining motivation. Our Sporting Schools program will build participation in physical activity in school-aged children, and we're working with the Australian Sports Commission to deliver a national sports participation program aimed at physically inactive populations and those who have stopped playing sport.

Overweight and obesity is one of those wicked problems around the world and it's no different here at home in Australia. We as a society need to work together, all of us, particularly those who are affected, or we will start to see life expectancy heading backwards.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I'd like to thank my friend the member for Braddon for bringing this important motion to the House today. The breadth of the motion explains the extent of the chronic conditions around obesity and the detrimental impact this is having on the full breadth of the Australian population. There is no doubt that the level of obesity in this country is a public health crisis. It is extraordinary that two in three Australian adults are overweight or obese. What's worse is that we are seeing kids as young as five—we've also heard of kids as young as two—being obese. One in four kids aged five to 17 and one in two aged 18 to 24 are overweight or obese. You can just imagine the health outcomes they are going to have when they are adults if we don't take this seriously.

In my own electorate of Lindsay, Penrith City Council notes that almost 70 per cent of adults and over a quarter of local kids are overweight or obese. We have some of the highest rates of obesity in New South Wales. Prevention, I believe, is key. Parents, schools, community organisations, healthcare practitioners and governments need to come together and strategise and plan ways to ensure our children are not impacted. That is why the National Obesity Strategy, as mentioned by the member for Braddon, is absolutely key—not just having a strategy, but being focused on its implementation.

We need a strong national campaign to promote sport and activity and healthy living in every corner of Australia. Many of us in this place recently took part in AUSactive's Fit for Office challenge, and even though that was just a snapshot of the activity requirements, it's really important for us to be leading by example. It's why I started the Lindsay Healthy Active Living Network as soon as I stepped into this role as the member for Lindsay—because it is a serious issue in my community. Local sporting organisations, health practitioners and clinicians all come together to discuss some of the outcomes of what's happening in the community, and, most importantly, we discuss the practical things that we can be doing on the ground. It's also why I have been committed to delivering sporting and community facilities and upgrades in our community, for young people playing sport and participating in cricket and martial arts. Kids, as we all know, are footy mad in Penrith, with the Panthers as our great team—our winners—inspiring a new generation of kids participating in sport. Finding a sport or activity is key to lowering the risk of obesity in the future, including type 2 diabetes and mental health issues.

We're blessed to have the Nepean River in my community. We have such amazing places to walk. We have parks, walking trails and nature reserves. We have all these things, but we still have some of the highest rates of obesity. That's because the opportunities might be there to take up these sports and activities, but, sometimes, there is just so much more at play contributing to people's health outcomes. I want to give a shout-out to Dr Kathryn Williams, who works at Nepean Hospital in Lindsay, because she sees this every day. She's a clinical lead and manager of the Nepean Family Metabolic Health Services and is head of endocrinology at Nepean Hospital. She is a researcher and a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney. She works with some of the most severe cases of obesity, and, unfortunately, there is a backlog of hundreds of Western Sydney patients who need her care. She's an advocate for pharmaceutical intervention to assist with weight loss for patients, alongside a healthy diet with regular exercise.

Finally, I want to note as deputy chair of the health committee that—and I note the chair is here—we are working really hard on the current inquiry into obesity and diabetes and the correlation between the two, with a particular focus on diabetes. This is absolutely important, and it shows how serious we are in this place to solve this public health crisis.

Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Braddon for this motion that paves the way for a discussion on obesity, our nation's health and steps that can be taken to ensure that all Australians can live healthy and fulfilling lives. As co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Nutrition, and having just come from an event this morning with a focus on nutrition and mental health, it's a policy area I'm particularly passionate about.

I do agree that new pharmacotherapies for obesity have the potential to be a game changer in the fight against obesity and recognise that, for some, new drugs have provided an opportunity to succeed in their goal of losing weight after every other attempt has failed. I think it's important that those in need are supported as they seek to change their lifestyle. New medications may play a role in some circumstances and, as the member for Braddon acknowledged, addressing obesity will realise benefits in multiple areas of the healthcare system and economy. However, I'm a firm believer that investment in preventive health measures should be paramount, as is educating how we can nourish our bodies.

What we do know about the new pharmacotherapies is that to be effective a patient may need to take them long term, and we are yet to see what effects the medication has on a patient's health over a long period of time. There are some concerns from professionals in the industry that any sudden restriction of food can lead to malnourishment, and I think it would be reasonable to suggest that access to accredited dietitians ought to be considered by anyone seeking to use weight loss drugs, to ensure that overall nutrient needs are met. Perhaps this could form part of a formal plan when seeking a prescription from a GP.

I was struck by a comment that Australian of the Year, Taryn Brumfitt, made during her address to the National Press Club a few weeks ago. When asked about her thoughts on weight loss drugs Taryn replied:

… it's doing us such a great disservice to talk about it … people who appreciate and feel good about their bodies are more likely to move their bodies, they're more likely to eat fruit and vegetables … they're less likely to drink, smoke, take illicit drugs, vape … The list of the reasons why we would want to get everyone in this country to embrace their bodies and feel good about their bodies is really long.

We know that physical inactivity is a major risk factor for chronic disease, and Tasmanians consistently outrank our mainland counterparts in the chronic disease statistics. According to a national health survey a few years ago, the typical Australian is a non-smoker and has never smoked, does 42 minutes of exercise every day, is overweight or obese and doesn't eat enough vegetables. In a wealthy country like Australia with a first-class health system stats like this and the fact that 50 per cent of Australians live with a chronic disease are startling.

I also think there's a privilege that's often not discuss when it comes to building healthy habits. We often overlook the availability, affordability and accessibility to nutritious food, green spaces, public transport, healthcare services and education and employment prospects. The further away you get from urban areas the more difficult this gets. Food insecurity is a major barrier to a healthy lifestyle. Research carried out in the UK in 2020 on more than 600 adults found that food insecurity was associated with a poorer diet and that greater distress and eating to cope were linked with a high BMI.

There's no magic answer or cure-all for obesity, but increasing accessibility to nutritious food, education on how to grow food and cook healthy basics, and availability of spaces or programs that encourage movement are a start. I love the idea—and it's one I have seen borne out in the northern Tasmanian region—of free community fitness classes and health programs, as done by Healthy Tasmania. I've mentioned the Healthy Tasmania team several times in health related speeches here in parliament, as I've seen firsthand how a small investment in their evidence based health programs works. I will always advocate for their place based programs to continue in my electorate.

Their multiaward-winning programs cover smoking cessation, physical inactivity, mental health, healthy eating and obesity and are delivered across multiple settings from the home to schools, tertiary education institutions, workplaces and community settings. To date their major program Active Launceston has delivered 249 community programs and engaged 13,826 attendees attending 38,370 sessions, amounting to an incredible 45,732.5 hours of physical activity.

I thank the member for Braddon for calling on the government to elevate obesity as a national health priority area. I think careful thought and planning need to be placed into significant education programs starting at an early age underpinned by investment in accessible community exercise and nutrition classes that could begin to move the dial on our nation's health statistics.

Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Braddon for bringing forth this very important motion. When it comes to overweight and obesity, Australia unfortunately punches well above its weight. Australia is a wealthy country, and in the club of OECD countries, a number of 32 countries that are mostly wealthy, Australia ranks fifth in countries with problems ranging from obesity to overweight. One-third of Australian adults are living with obesity. That's about 14 million Australians, and it includes two-out-of-every-three adults as well as one-in-four children.

To be clear so that we all understand what we're talking about here, overweight relates to a BMI of 25 or above, and obese relates to a BMI of 30 and above. However, in my practice, I have looked after patients who are in the super-obese range. The highest weight patient I ever looked after had a weight of 180 kilos. This unfortunate gentleman had to be broken out of his house in order to be brought to hospital. He remained in hospital for several months, where I looked after him for a period of three months. He was there for us to try and initiate bariatric surgery—this is stomach stapling essentially. It was a really difficult process, managing him and managing all his chronic health problems. Unfortunately, despite us getting agreement from the surgeons, which was a long and arduous affair of negotiation and investigations, when he was finally taken to theatre, they opened him up only to then close him. Why? Because they found that he had already developed cirrhosis of his liver. This occurs because of fatty infiltration of the liver. When that happens, it is a dealbreaker. No surgeon will operate any further, because essentially the patient is now on a fairly terminal trajectory. These are some of the hidden impacts of obesity, and I would actually say that there are many, many Australians walking around who probably have early features of fatty infiltration of their liver, and, if that's the case, they really should go and see their doctor and seek some advice on what to do next.

Australians do want an environment that makes it easier to lead healthier lives. I live in one of those environments, where I see people walking, walking their dogs or running and jogging. They have access to healthy food, particularly fresh food. They also have access to unhealthy food, but the healthy food is abundant and it is easy to get. And it's predominantly an educated electorate—60 per cent of my constituents have a degree or a diploma. And people have access to public transport. So they're enabled to make active, healthy choices. In addition, it's a safe community. It is actually safe to walk down the street—it is safe to go jogging, either in the morning or in the evenings or indeed at night-time—and people somehow make time to factor exercise into their day, even though they are busy.

This is not the case with Australians all around this country. Many Australians live in communities which, frankly, are unsafe, and many Australians are struggling to get by and they simply do not have the time. It seems a luxury to look after themselves—particularly women, particularly mothers.

In addition, we take for granted some of the basics. Most of the communities we live in have access to clean water. There are, in fact, around 250,000 Australians, mostly First Nations communities, who do not even have access to clean water. This is why we are contributing $150 million to First Nations water security. It is unclear to me as to why, in 2023, we have this situation, but what it is doing is accelerating diabetes in those communities. Why? Because they're resorting to soft drink and sugary drinks rather than to clean water.

I'm currently sitting on a health committee which is looking at diabetes and obesity in this country, and we are finding out that First Nations communities, including children as young as three, are developing type 2 diabetes despite having a normal BMI. This is clearly unacceptable.

What we need is a whole-of-nation approach to solving this problem, and that includes leadership from our end—from every person in this parliament—and the use of evidence and data and investing in implementation so that we actually help Australians make better choices.

We obviously also need to destigmatise being obese and overweight, because it only feeds into the problem. It makes it harder to actually shed those extra kilos.

Russell Broadbent (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for Braddon for bringing this very important motion before the parliament today.

There is an epidemic of obesity in this country and in developed countries around the world. Australia ranks fifth among OECD countries, with nearly a third of all Australians living with obesity—I said a third of all Australians are living with obesity. This problem is hugely embarrassing for a nation as wealthy as ours. Obesity is expected to cost this nation some $87 billion over the next 10 years. We'd have to question why we're not doing more to address this issue. I appreciate the previous speaker, the member for Higgins, giving a doctor's perspective on this.

I grew up in a community, a very small community, in country Victoria, where all of our food came from within 10 kays of where we lived. If anyone looked at me they'd say, 'That's a long time ago,' but in my school and realm, there were very few obese children—very few. What was different about them? Looking back, they were from poorer families that didn't have the access to food that people like myself and most of the community had. And it was hereditary; there were generations of people who were not wealthy and who were different because they had access to different types of food to what we were having.

Even today, 40 per cent of the food that we consume is coming packaged—not necessarily from a supermarket, but packaged food. That's 40 per cent packaged food being consumed by the community. Something happened to me not long ago—and I won't name the township I was in—when I went to polling booths on election day. This community had gone from a small country community to an outer suburban community where they had Hungry Jack's, McDonald's, Red Rooster and all those sorts of things that they didn't have before. When I went to that community, I noticed the difference from the sixties and seventies. Then, there were very few obese people in the community, but on that election day, as I was handing out how-to-vote cards for Russell Broadbent, I noticed that there was obese family, after obese family, after obese family coming into the booths. I had never seen that there before. This was phenomenal to me, because that community had never had the type of dramatic change that I could see presented in front of me that day. People who were obese were so hot, on a very cool day—when I had a jacket on—that they had T-shirts and shorts on.

It was very clear from the parents and the children that they had the same diet. What have we done over these past years that has made this dramatic change? Is it cheaper to stop in at McDonald's on your way past? Is it cheaper not to buy the fresh food at the supermarket? I don't know what we've done, but this nation desperately needs a change of focus, particularly in health care, to point to issues that have to start at the family level and at the school level—at every level we can. When you see little, active kids—where you see Nippers down the beach—you don't see obese kids. They're active and their families are active—that's generational as well.

So I put it to you, Mr Speaker, that on this day Australians should think very carefully as to how they're feeding this generation and the generations to come. This is a great opportunity for this nation to change its ways.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Very briefly: I'm a worried man. I'm worried that, as a paediatrician, I'm seeing children in the preschool-aged group with morbid obesity. I'm worried that we're poisoning our children and our adolescents with the food that we're giving them. I'm worried that we have an obesity epidemic that is urgent. It is severely effecting health care in this country. We've watched this evolve over the last 20 years and done very little about it.

It is urgent that we act on this major health priority, and that includes things like advertising the dangers of the foods that we're offering. Highly processed foods are killing our kids, killing our adults and killing our elderly. It has to stop. It has to change. We need to have proper food labelling. I don't want to know the kilojoule count of a bottle of lemonade. I want to know how many teaspoons of sugar are in that bottle. I want people to understand that they shouldn't advertise junk food, highly processed food, to our children and adolescents. This has to stop. This is a major epidemic, and we are doing very little about it. Times must change.

I'm a paediatrician. I should not be seeing children as young as four with morbid obesity. They will inevitably develop liver disease, cardiovascular disease, blindness—a whole range of health priorities. We're also seeing an epidemic of gestational diabetes, and that has long-term implications for our children and their risk of developing obesity, diabetes and all that goes with it. We need to stop being judgemental. We need to do things that work. We need to stop lecturing people. It's time for action and change.

I think there are many, many health priorities in this country but obesity and type 2 diabetes should be at the top of the list. We have to act on this. All of my medical colleagues, no matter what field they're in, are seeing increases in issues. Vascular surgeons are seeing many more amputations than they've ever seen before because of diabetes and the risks of vascular disease. Our eye doctors are seeing more retinal disease and more blindness because of diabetes. Out liver specialists are seeing more people needing liver transplants because of the risk of fatty liver due to diabetes and obesity. We are seeing many more people unable to work because of the skeletal effects of massive obesity. Our hospital systems are being overwhelmed by people with diabetes and the complications thereof.

There is much to be done. Our government is acting by looking at how we can better manage chronic illness, such as diabetes, in general practice. People need access to primary care and general practice so that they can deal with the complications of their diabetes and obesity. We need a national education program that teaches people about the dangers of the foods that we have developed through—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time for the debate has concluded.