Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister representing the Minister for the Arts and Sport. I draw the minister’s attention to the Active After-School Communities program, which aims to get Australian children more involved in physical activity outside school hours, and the fact that the Australian Sports Commission, which oversees the scheme, is pushing to have it extended to all primary schools across Australia. I ask the minister: will the government provide immediate funding to ensure that this important program can be offered to children at every primary school in the country?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is certainly the case that this government takes very seriously the need for children to be engaged in an after school program. It is important for not only their general physical wellbeing but also their mental wellbeing. There is no doubt that the government will continue to organise and arrange for children to have access to after school programs. As to how the program is further augmented, that is a matter that I will ask Senator Kemp about and I will provide you with more particulars.

Together with arrangements relating to this government’s concerns about junk food and children’s healthy lifestyles, the extent to which we can ensure that after school programs give children the ability to engage in sport and activities that will continue to ensure that they have a very full and comprehensive program of physical education and involvement is something that we will very much augment and take on board.

Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given that 27 per cent of children in Victoria are overweight or obese and that number is growing by one per cent each year, doesn’t the government believe that this is an urgent issue that should be addressed immediately?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think that it is generally acknowledged within the community that the causes of obesity amongst children are quite complex. It cannot be put down to one factor. The kind of leadership role that the government can have in assisting parents to have responsibility for their children’s diet and activities obviously requires more than just one approach. It is certainly the case that the Building a Healthy, Active Australia initiative will help address both overweight and obesity issues for children. The Active After-School Communities program and other policies relating to junk food, which feed into these issues, are issues that the government will continue to take very seriously and will continue to implement.