Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to put on the record two matters. I will commence with a significant development with regard to the Australian Association of National Advertisers. Millions of Australian women have flicked through magazines—and I'm sure that Senator Hume and Senator McKenzie would be amongst those who have done this—and pored over images of celebrities and models. Alongside those images were stories of advice and headlines promising we would achieve our 'sexiest body ever'. I also want to acknowledge Senator Claire Moore is here. I don't know if any of us would be seduced by such headlines, but they are nonetheless a part of the reality that we are often exposed to just by being women in the modern world who see this kind of literature around us.

But, with the rise of social media and the persistence of digital connectivity, Australian women of all ages can endlessly scroll through curated images of toned models, celebrities and social media influencers. While social media can be great for connecting with loved ones, we know that it also facilitates the consumption of imagery that can be damaging for men's and women's body image. Mr Acting Deputy President Ketter, as the father of young men and women, I'm sure that you're very aware that this is an issue that impacts on families in a very significant way in our time. Men are met with images of chiselled torsos and strong sculpted limbs. You know it: it's called the 'Adonis ideal'. Women face a barrage of perfection—perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect skin, perfect bodies and curves in all the 'right' places.

The pressure to imitate these body types that often become idealised can be harmful to our mental, physical and emotional health, and it is well established that this can be associated with a development of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, which affect over one million Australian men and women. Of all psychiatric illnesses—and I stress this—eating disorders have amongst the highest mortality rates. A lot of the time the portrayal of these 'ideal bodies' is often unattainable or only attainable through unhealthy practices thanks to digital alteration. You've seen it before: the model's waist has been tightened and it is disproportionate to the rest of their body. It is literally impossible to look like that and it has been often idealised, I think, across many generations in the Barbie doll body shape. Millions of Australian women have flipped through magazines and pored over images of celebrities and models. Alongside those images were stories, advice and headlines promising we would achieve those very sexy body images. With the rise of social media, we know that the challenge of this is going to cause more and more problems for us.

The reason I want to make this speech today, though, is to applaud a significant change in some of the attitudes and to make a noise of applause in congratulations to the Australian Association of National Advertisers. It is with some joy that I can say the advertising industry has heard a number of calls that I and Labor, over the last decade, have been making with regard to action on this vital matter. Just a few weeks ago, the Australian Association of National Advertisers, the AANA, launched an updated code of ethics, with a practice note written to assist advertisers in their understanding of how the code of ethics applies to the portrayal of body image in advertising. This new note prohibits advertising that depicts unrealistic bodies. Advertising that provides an unrealistic body image by portraying body shapes or features that are unattainable through healthy practices, which is not justifiable in the context of the product or the service being advertised, may no longer be permissible.

This is a huge win in the pursuit of good mental health and positive body image. Practically, it means tightening a model's waist disproportionately to the rest of their body may be a breach of the code of ethics. Importantly, the code is technology-neutral, which means that this will apply to all advertisements, including on social media—a medium which advertisers are increasingly using thanks to the rise of influencers. If an ad is found in breach, it must be removed and never used again. This is an important step in addressing the root causes of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Whilst I welcome this move with open arms, I look forward to seeing the effect of this new code and will be keeping a very watchful eye on how its enforceability plays out in practice.

I'm also going to make another call for action. This time, it's for all those citizens who might be listening to or watching this broadcast. I offer encouragement that we all have a role to play in creating a healthy society. I'm calling on you to report ads that you feel are not complying with such a code of ethics. If you see them on Facebook or Instagram or in magazines, please make a complaint to the Ads Standards board. If you have difficulty in doing that, I encourage you to contact me and I'll be happy to put you in touch with them. Certainly, I'm going to be keeping my eyes open and on the lookout for facial features and body shapes that cannot be attained through healthy practices, because, thankfully, this is no longer permissible. Together we can do this. We are the community and we can reset the dial on prevailing community standards.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the significant leadership from the Labor team, led on this issue by Kate Ellis, the member for Adelaide, who really put eating disorders front and foremost in discussion in this country.