BROCCOLI

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:51): I often ask school students, especially younger ones, what their favourite vegetable is and that is because it gives me a chance to talk about my favourite vegetable, which is broccoli. It would be fair to say it is a vegetable second only to Brussels sprouts, another member of the Brassica family, which has had its fair share of bad press over the years. However, that is changing. Broccoli is back in style and in so many ways.

I refer to the heartening news for members of the Broccoli Appreciation Society broadcast by the ABC on 17 August talking about Victorian and New Zealand scientists, in a trans-Tasman collaboration, having developed a new range of vegetables branded Vital Vegetables now available in supermarkets. They have 40 per cent more anti-oxidants which ensures the vegetables are good to eat and stay fresh longer.

It has been naturally bred to specifically focus on maximising the health attributes within the vegetable based on the strongest science from the planting of the seed to the cooked broccoli on the dinner plate —it is important not to overcook any vegetable. I quote from the media release on that day, which states:

Anti-oxidants have been proven to reduce the risk of a range of diseases such as heart disease and some types of cancer.

The so-called 'booster broccoli' is the first in a group of vegetables being developed by the scientists at Victoria's Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

DPI leading scientist Dr Rod Jones says the new broccoli is not the result of genetic engineering. 'All we've done is go back and minded nature's natural diversity,' he said.

He said they formed partnerships with large companies and tested all of their varieties of broccoli and selected the one out of 400 tested with the highest anti-oxidant content.

Now they have started to breed that variety.

He continued:

It's a premium branded product so the returns to growers should be higher.

It's also about improving the health of our population in general by getting people to eat vegetables that we know are good for them.

So far more than $20 million has been invested in the project.

There are another 15 products in commercial testing.

Dr. Jones says, 'Booster broccoli taste sweeter than most other broccoli varieties because it's high in sugar.' He said Australian conditions are perfect for growing the new varieties because, when the plants are stressed by lack of water, the anti-oxidant level actually goes up. He is confident they can eventually create a range of vegetables that have an even higher anti-oxidant content.

At the 2020 Forum on Health in March this year, the federal health minister (Nicola Roxon) talked about the sort of health system Australia will have to have in the future. She said one of the key focuses would be for prevention and keeping people well and out of hospital. This is intrinsically linked with lifestyle, diet and nutrition. The recent National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission report found that around 70 per cent of our health care budget is consumed by chronic conditions that are potentially preventable such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental disorders and diabetes.

The National Kitchen Garden Program is the way to begin a life of loving vegetables very early. I know Maggie Beer visited the kitchen at The Heights School recently and I hope she will be able to do that at the Wandana school very soon. Each participating school receives one-off funding to cover infrastructure costs associated with building kitchens and gardens. The project, inspired by top Australian chef Stephanie Alexander, is part of the federal government's plans for tackling obesity, particularly in children and adolescents.

Literature is another way to begin the education process of a good lifestyle and eating habits. On Thursday, 27 August I had the pleasure of representing the Hon. John Hill, Minister Assisting the Minister for the Arts, at a Young Writers Night in the North. I thank Barbara Wiesner for welcoming me on the night. Well-known author Elizabeth Hutchins was MC and I went with her group to hear some of the wonderful stories by the young writers of our area. In the extensive program, listing all authors participating in the evening, many of whom had their work for sale, I learnt of a book called Leaving Jetty Road, in brief a story about three young friends who decide to go vegetarian for a year not knowing the changes that would occur in their lives over that time.

The author, Rebecca Burton, was unfortunately unable to be present on the night, and I was disappointed because her bio spoke about a young woman who has lived within walking distance of South Australian beaches for most of her adult life. More importantly, it mentioned that readers of her books would know that she loves to eat broccoli!

So, I am heartened to see that there is more than one person singing the praises of this wonderful vegetable, and, now that we have a super variety, there is no excuse for anyone here to deny their body the goodness that it can provide.

In talking about the Wandana Primary School, I would like to mention another program that they are providing for their students, which has been having amazing results. Labs 'n Life is a not for profit community based organisation whose purpose is to encourage positive life choices by youth who have been identified at risk of marginalisation through homelessness, institutionalisation, disability, unemployment, poverty, or similar circumstances.

Young people are exposed to the positive experiences associated with forming a close relationship with and training a labrador retriever, some of which are being trained to work as Autism Assist dogs. To successfully produce a dog for such assistance requires patience, calmness, mutual respect, anger management, team skills and consistency.

The Labs 'n Life program brings up to 10 of these carefully bred dogs into schools for a weekly session, and I recently had the opportunity to see them in action. I congratulate Sue Danse and her Cavajal Labs on their wonderful work and interaction with the students.