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Health Habits

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-116584

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)


Health Habits

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (15:35:27):

As a parent with two young boys and a member of this place who is constantly on the move, I know the importance of eating well and the factors that can get in the way of it. While I applaud the work being done by both the State and Federal governments in creating policies and a platform for reform, we must do more as individuals to better our own lives. Growing up in the late seventies and the eighties I was always fascinated by the promotional campaign called "Life. Be in it." Do members remember that? It focused on a character called Norm. He was an overweight man who sat on his recliner every day, drinking beer and eating unhealthily.

Mr David Elliott:

Big boned.

Mr MARK COURE:

Yes, he was big boned. That is right. The premise of the campaign was to encourage people not to be like Norm but to focus on the importance of eating healthy, being physically fit and being a role model to their children. It inspires individual responsibility and acknowledges that every person and every family can make a difference. A recent report from NSW Health found that over 63 per cent of adults across the State are currently classified as overweight or obese. That is a shocking statistic, but what is most worrying to me as a parent is that children appear to be following the unhealthy eating habits set by their parents. The same report also found that almost a quarter of children in New South Wales are overweight or obese. When those issues become systemic and flow through to future generations, it becomes an epidemic.

We cannot become complacent or push healthy habits to the side. It also comes at a huge cost to the national economy. Tackling obesity accounts for 8.6 per cent of our health expenditure. That is an enormous drain on the budget and means that this funding is not available to provide life-saving and vital medical treatment. What can we as individuals do to limit this and look towards restricting the health and economic effects of a growing obesity rate? Last year I was honoured to host the team from Nutrition Australia in New South Wales Parliament—I know the member for Kogarah has had a bit to do with them as well—for a breakfast that congratulated them on all of their hard work over recent years in campaigning for a healthier Australia. What is most admirable about that organisation is its strong, loyal volunteer base. Together they have helped encourage greater levels of nutritional education and inspired individuals of all backgrounds and circumstances, particularly across multicultural backgrounds, to eat healthy. That is a fantastic initiative. It is an organisation that our Government is always happy to work with.

In 2018 alone the New South Wales Government invested over $25 billion in tackling the direct and indirect effects of obesity and creating a positive pathway to appropriate reform. Critical to those improvements has been the introduction of the Active Kids rebate, which currently promotes over 9,600 approved providers with $207 million committed over four years. That allows parents to claim $100 twice a year on their children's sporting fees and registration. The success speaks for itself, with almost half of all schoolchildren enjoying the benefits of extracurricular exercise. As the member for Oatley I know that this program has been highly regarded throughout my local community, and in fact right across the St George area. I note that the member for Rockdale is in the Chamber as well. It has been imperative in getting children active. What we do as a government and what groups like Nutrition Australia do as advocacy groups is give individuals the tools and support they require while giving them the space to make decisions appropriate to their own circumstances.

Individual responsibility is therefore fundamental in tackling the issue locally. Nutrition ratings are a guide to affirmative action, but the power to champion those recommendations into the home starts with each and every person making a commitment to be better. I urge the public to review the information presented by both the State and Federal governments and groups like Nutrition Australia and to make healthier choices each and every day. We owe it to ourselves to increase the health outlook of the nation. We owe it to our children and their children to make a platform for positive and healthier habits.