WORKPLACE HEALTH

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (12:46): I move:

That this house calls on the state government, local governments and the private sector to follow the lead of councils, such as the City of Marion and the City of Onkaparinga, and introduce workplace health promotion and comprehensive in situ health checks.

Members would appreciate that this motion ties in with my general bandwagon about trying to provide better health for all South Australians. I have been very impressed by the commitment of the City of Marion, the City of Onkaparinga and Foundation 49, which is an organisation committed to health screening. Its focus is on men in the workplace, but my focus is on men and women in the workplace. I have been impressed by the commitment of those organisations to the issue of workplace health checks. Foundation 49 has undertaken various studies and reported on them in its publication called A Whole New Ball Game, which states, in part:

Employers are fast realising the cost benefits of a healthy workforce. A recent study by Wesley Corporate Health found that, if you can reduce health risk factors by 2.9 per employee in an organisation of 1,000 employees with an average salary of $50,000, productivity gains could be as high as $3.48 million per year.

In other words, it is not simply about helping people to live more healthily and to live longer; it is also about economic benefits for the company or the government agency.

I have been lobbying the health minister (Hon. John Hill) on this issue, as I am wont to do. He has not rejected the concept, but I think it is fair to say that he probably needs a little more convincing. Organisations such as the City of Marion and the City of Onkaparinga (and this is what I want to see replicated in the state Public Service, the private sector and other local councils) provide on-site testing for things such as cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, body mass index, nutrition score, vision screening, stress profile, back fitness, care risk rating and cardiac risk rating. In their responses to me, those councils (City of Marion and City of Onkaparinga) have both indicated benefits for their organisations and staff as a result of workplace health checks. In a letter last month from the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the City of Onkaparinga, Beth Davidson-Park, she said:

Recent data analysis of health assessment results since 1999 and conducted by the LGAWCS has shown that regular participation in a health assessment has seen:

increases in exercise participation

major improvements in aerobic fitness levels, despite an increase in the average age, which is normally responsible for a decline in fitness

significant improvements to dietary habits

a reduction in smoking levels

She summarises her letter by saying:

As can be seen from this information there have been benefits for many of our employees by identifying potential health issues through the annual health assessments and the follow up referral for treatment. We believe that for some of our employees these health checks may be the most thorough health screening they may have had and therefore we believe it is a worthwhile program.

Likewise, the City of Marion does a whole range of tests similar to the City of Onkaparinga. They help staff develop a personal plan involving lifestyle changes and setting goals and realistic timeframes for achieving them. They offer weight loss programs and they help staff who may be going through a stressful situation. The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the City of Marion, in a letter to me in August, said:

Council has been involved in this program—

she refers to the workplace assessments—

for the past 7 years and has seen an increase in participant numbers and an overall improvement in their health and wellbeing.

There is some evidence from organisations that are actively involved in this. I know that the ANZ Bank offers a service to its employees which shows that it is a very progressive organisation.

Foundation 49 has been involved in a very comprehensive workplace health program at Foster’s Abbotsford brewery. Whilst this one is focused on men’s health, my focus is on men and women’s health in the workplace. In their focus on men, they found that a 30-minute health check of the 200 men at the Abbotsford brewery showed that 35 per cent had unacceptably high blood pressure, 10 per cent had high cholesterol, 4 per cent had erectile issues, 11 per cent were living with mental health problems, and 6 per cent had high blood glucose readings giving a clue to diabetes risk. Three-quarters of the participants claimed the health check was excellent or very good and said that they would like another check up in a year’s time. I stress that I want this for men and women but Foundation 49 focuses on men in the workplace. The Minister for Health, the Hon. John Hill, in his reply to me at the end of August, said:

The South Australian Government is committed to ensuring that all South Australians enjoy good health throughout their life.

He talks about the State Strategic Plan and the release of the Health Care Plan. His letter continues:

I support your idea of encouraging State Government employees to be healthy through promoting and supporting preventative practices. However, there is little evidence to suggest that mass screening programs reach those who are most at risk.

We have heard the argument before from people in this place: why can't people go to their doctor? The reality is that a lot of people do not go to their doctor. A person can have high blood pressure and not know it. If you are not checked with a sphygmomanometer you will not know whether you have high blood pressure. It is an insidious condition that can damage your kidneys and other organs of your body. So, the idea that people should go to their doctor is good in theory—and some do it—but the reality is that many do not.

In essence, I am urging the state government to come on board and follow the lead of the City of Marion and the City of Onkaparinga. I have written to the Secretary of the Public Service Association, Jan McMahon, and the President, Lindsay Oxlad. In their reply to me yesterday, they indicated that they would pursue the matter. I think that it makes sense, because the more people we can keep out of our hospitals, the more we can prevent chronic illness and disease: it is better for them and better for the community on every indicator we use, whether it is economic or otherwise.

I urge the state government to come on board, and I urge the federal government—whichever party it is after the election—to do likewise. These two councils are setting the standard, and so are organisations like the ANZ. It not only improves the quality of life for employees but, in some cases, it actually saves their life as well. I commend the motion to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.