NATIONAL HEART WEEK

Ms SIMMONS (Morialta) (15:13): I rise today to highlight that this is National Heart Week. I lost both my parents to heart disease. My dad was brought up on a dairy farm and loved the full cream milk and cheeses available to him. As a young man he played a lot of sport: rugby, at an elite level, and tennis in particular. He was a career serviceman and a veteran of the Second World War. He suffered capture and later escaped in France and Belgium and was a lucky escapee from Dunkirk. In later life, he dropped his exercise regime, continued to enjoy his food, and smoked heavily to alleviate the demons of war and the stress of his job.

He had his first coronary at 42 and, after several other heart attacks, died aged 69. Today we know better. We know that rich foods, dairy produce in excess, smoking in particular and lack of exercise in later life are all a death sentence. Keeping our hearts clean and clear and exercised like all other muscles in the body is vital to ensure a long life. However, despite regular warnings in the media and from health organisations over many decades now, many of us continue to put ourselves at risk. What is worse is that the latest news poll conducted by the Heart Foundation reveals that one in five parents of nine to 12 year olds acknowledged that their kids are doing less than one hour of physical activity on the average weekday.

As a member of the Social Development Committee inquiry into childhood obesity, we learnt that weight gain among our children is chronic and rising. Children, on average, spend more than two hours a day inactive in front of some sort of screen, whether it be watching TV, playing computer games or surfing the net. We know that teaching kids healthy habits in childhood and helping them to make the best choices when it comes to food and physical activity can make a difference not only to their body weight and health now but also to their adult life. It has been categorically proven that being overweight and obese in childhood and adolescence increases the risk of being overweight and obese as adults. This is related to greater cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, regardless of the adult weight on death.

Parents, grandparents and carers all need to play an important role in helping and encouraging kids to have healthy eating, physical activity and healthy weight. To be honest, kids can also help the adults to lose weight and remain active. Kids learn by example, which means if the whole family lifestyle includes a healthy diet and active play everyone benefits. My mum also died of heart disease at just 62 and, unlike my dad, she was small and slight but had suffered rheumatic fever as a child and, as is now well known, the primary side effect is considerable weakness of the heart muscles in adult life.

I was shocked to learn when I attended the Heart Foundation memorial and thanksgiving service on Sunday that the Northern Territory currently has the greatest incidence of rheumatic fever in the western world, particularly within the indigenous community. This disease has all but been eradicated in the UK and Europe, and we must be vigilant to work towards eradication here, especially when widespread use of antibiotics can assist. Repeat infections and spread result because many of those infected cannot afford or do not have easy access to antibiotics. In a country like Australia this is just not acceptable. My mum suffered considerably in the last months of her life and I do not wish this avoidable death on anyone, so we must be vigilant to make things change. I understand that in Queensland research is being undertaken at the moment into inoculation against rheumatic fever, and I urge the federal government to get behind this research so that it can become a reality.

In conclusion, I pay tribute to the work of the Heart Foundation. I have enjoyed working with the foundation, Heart Support SA and the Parisian Challenge for the past two years, and particularly mention the untiring devotion and work of Geoff Halsey, the CEO, Darrin Johnson and Rachel Sporn; volunteer extraordinaire, Tony D'Chellis; our team of cardiac surgeons and doctors such as Professor Philip Aylward from Flinders and who is currently President of the SA Heart Foundation; and researchers such as Professor Prash Sanders from the RAH.

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