SCHOOLS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH INITIATIVES

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Education. Following the appearance of the McLaren Vale Primary School and many of its students on the Today program yesterday due to their recent award from the Australian Institute of Sport, will the minister please inform the house of initiatives being undertaken in our schools to increase physical activity and health for South Australian students?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development) (14:17): I thank the honourable member for this question. I congratulate the staff and students of the McLaren Vale Primary School for their recent award through the Australian Institute of Sport. The school was awarded an interactive whiteboard for their physical health initiatives that they undertake at the school. This includes, as a core element, their involvement in the Eat Well Be Active primary schools program and also the Premier's Be Active Challenge this year.

Supporting our children to engage in healthy living is the responsibility of us all; indeed, the member for Mawson provides McLaren Vale Primary School with the prize for the annual graduation sports award in the form of the Leon Bignell: Scoring for the South soccer ball.

An honourable member: They're excellent.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right. That goes to both the male and female sportsperson of the year.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right; they are, as is the member for Mawson, as we saw in the most recent poll. The Eat Well Be Active primary schools project is a joint initiative of SA Health and the Department of Education and Children's Services. The project develops teachers' professional learning, skills and confidence to incorporate health promotion as part of their teaching practice with the aim of building the capacity of schools to provide supportive environments for healthy eating and physical activity. Gone are the days when you could order the kitchener bun.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I know. It is sad in a way, but there is a much more detailed focus now in our schools on healthy eating and physical activity, which is a very good thing. McLaren Vale Primary School's involvement with the project was integral in demonstrating to the Australian Institute of Sport their commitment to physical activity and supporting healthy lifestyles. The Premier's Be Active Challenge is another physical activity initiative that encourages reception to year 9 to complete at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

It began in 2007 with 7,457 participants. Last year 27,782 students from across South Australia completed the challenge—a 14 per cent increase from 2008. This year over 35,000 students from across the state have registered to participate in the challenge. There was an increase of 13 per cent in the number of students with special needs completing the challenge in 2009 from the previous year.

The challenge engages a number of prominent South Australians to act together as ambassadors of the challenge. These ambassadors include Katie Parker the paralympic tandem cyclist, media identities Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald and Mark Soderstrom, and Karen Rolton, the Australian women's cricket captain. The ambassadors give their time freely to visit participating schools and encourage students to adopt healthy, active lifestyles.

The Premier's Be Active Challenge, in collaboration with the SACE board, has developed a SACE unit so that secondary school students can achieve SACE accreditation for their leadership in implementing the challenge and promoting physical activity to their peers. This year McLaren Vale Primary School has indicated that it will be registering 350 students in the Premier's Be Active Challenge, and I wish the students of McLaren Vale and others undertaking the challenge the best of luck.

I pay special tribute to the member for Mawson. I know that sport is his passion, and he has used not only his professional experience in being a sports journalist but also his commitment to sport and reflected that in his local schools within his area. I think it is a model that many of us could profitably copy and I pay tribute to his leadership in this area.