AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINES

The Hon. M. PARNELL (15:42): This week a document that goes to the heart of when Australians live or die was released by the National Health and Medical Research Council in Canberra. Bearing the modest title, 'Australian Dietary Guidelines', this document is a wake-up call to all Australians. It should be compulsory reading for all health professionals, but more importantly it should be compulsory reading for all the bean counters working away in Treasury and all the ministers whose job it is to make smart choices about allocating scarce public money. I say that it is life or death because if we get it wrong more people will die sooner and more people will suffer poor health and all of us will pay a whole lot more as a consequence.

It is 10 years since these guidelines were last updated and the picture is pretty bleak. Consider these facts: 60 per cent of Australian adults and 25 per cent of our children are now overweight or obese. Diet-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer are currently the major causes of premature death and disability among adults in Australia. More than one-third of all premature deaths in Australia are the result of chronic disease that could have been prevented. Many of these are mediated by overweight and obesity, and if current trends continue in Australia it is estimated that, by 2025, 83 per cent of men and 75 per cent of women aged over 20 will be overweight or obese.

Among the conclusions reached in these guidelines is this obvious one: to reduce the burden and premature loss of life from diet-related disease in Australia it will be necessary to improve current food and nutrition intakes. So where do we start? Of course it makes sense to start with our children, but we do not have to give up on the adults either, because both are critical. There are two programs that I want to mention. One is the Community Foodies program, which is aimed at adults and focuses on supporting local communities through hands on activities such as cooking classes and demonstrations, menu planning, supermarket tours, label reading and even food gardening. It is incredibly cost effective and it uses volunteers for program delivery.

The other program is the Start Right Eat Right program which is aimed at childcare centres. This is starting right at the start, helping our very youngest children and their carers in childcare centres with good modelling, parental education, good food and good eating behaviours that are the building blocks of a healthy future that will give our kids the best possible start in life.

What do these two programs have in common? The answer is that they are both on the chopping block; both are in the firing line for cuts under the McCann review. This means that both are likely to be extinguished in one of the most short-sighted and irresponsible plans ever put forward by a government for serious consideration. Just think about it. We know this: obesity will cause future health costs to spiral. We know that prevention is better than cure. We know that community-based programs can be highly effective, and we know that we need to start with the very young, which is why childcare centres are absolutely critical.

I am amazed, concerned and disappointed that this government proposes to deal with a blowout in the cost of dealing with illness and disease in our community by destroying the very programs designed to stop illness and disease in the first place. It is just plain madness and it does not make sense. It does not make sense to slash programs that provide good nutrition and promote healthy eating. These savings are only a drop in the bucket but the loss of the programs will send ripples across the whole community. It is nothing short of a shift of health costs from this generation to our children, and that is unconscionable and immoral.

I want to finish by referring to two of the contributions that were made to the Facebook page 'Save Start Right Eat Right'. That page has over 500 supporters so far and is growing fast. The first contribution is from Sophie Disley who states:

I am writing to express my extreme concern and disappointment regarding the announcement to cut the Start Right Eat Right program in South Australia and to plead with you to reconsider this decision.

As a parent of two young children, I am personally very interested in the Start Right Eat Right program and being aware of the program and the credential system played a strong role in my choice of child care providers.

I will briefly refer to one other contribution from Kelly Bennett who stated:

In my opinion as an educator, if programs such as Start Right Eat Right are cut then we will be losing significant support in an area that is CRITICAL to children's wellbeing. So much is said about health being important to promote strong bodies and minds focused for learning, yet the government will take away this valuable knowledge and education from children, parents and carers. Many people need to be educated about health in order to live successfully...

I would commend all members to look at the website to save the Start Right Eat Right Program.

Time expired.