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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-12 Daily Xml
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FEDERAL HEALTH FUNDING

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:52): Yesterday's federal budget and its commitment to health shows how important this issue is to everyone—consumers and providers alike. The Premier's statement today on the COAG health reforms helps us to better understand the complexities of providing health care in the 21st century and beyond, not just here in South Australia but all around this nation, for we are a mobile population and, in the true meaning of access for all, Australian governments have always striven to have health facilities throughout the length and breadth of this vast continent.

These announcements will see the biggest investments in the acute services that Australians need and need to know will be available. In all, South Australia's health system will receive $1.5 billion over the next 10 years. It is worth repeating what is about to happen. South Australia's hospital system will receive an extra $306 million over the next four years; $120 million for subacute beds; extra beds at the Repat and more long stay mental health beds; $3 million to expand the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre services; $29 million to assist long stay older patients waiting for nursing home placement; $21 million for country aged care upgrades; $47 million for improved access to elective surgery procedures; $36 million for senior medical staff to be in our hospitals after hours (and this has been identified as a key way to improve emergency department outcomes); $20 million in emergency department capital works; $17 million in flexible funding for emergency departments, elective surgery and subacute services; and $13 million for refurbishment of theatres and additional equipment at Modbury Hospital.

Complementary to these measures, we can also look at preventive measures. We can all do a lot more for ourselves in this area, and I have referred to the importance of whole grains in our diet. I have mentioned before, and it has been mentioned in reports from the grains and legumes health people authored by Associate Professor Peter Williams of the University of Wollongong, that, on average, Australians eat about half the whole grains they need daily. We need to boost our consumption of cereals, oats, brown rice and even muesli bars and popcorns of the less sugared variety. This could lead us to a reduction in the risk of developing diseases like diabetes and heart disease by up to 30 per cent and cut the annual health bill by $1.2 billion. We all know that sort of saving could easily go back into extra preventative measures and acute care.

A no lesser authority than the CSIRO, via the Food Futures Flagship Chief Research Scientist, Dr David Topping, noted the suggestion that whole grains played a greater role in our diets than we all believed. I have begun to campaign to get this message through to my local community groups and those who work at fundraising via sausage sizzles. Multigrain and wholegrain breads are almost the same price as white bread (more often it is) and should be offered to people.

I have been canvassing this novel idea for almost a year now without influencing much action. All I ask is that this report be acted on, even on a trial basis, so that we can see the results, especially when you consider that sausage sizzles are often aimed at children at sporting events and other activities not to mention football matches where we see men eating large amounts of hamburger and sausage—not that there is a problem with that. Real people can handle whole grains. Let's all get behind this measure out in our electorates and even here in the parliament by asking for those sorts of changes to be made in our own eating areas.

Another way we can help ourselves is by reducing portion sizes, and in a roundabout way some of our most popular brands are helping us by reducing the size of their products while keeping the price structure at the same level—unfortunately, though, keeping us in the dark. In fact, these manufacturers even tell us they have modified the size to keep us healthy. Even so, this is a way to cut snack food portions. What might be useful, though, is an admission of intent. They would no doubt still want to increase unit sales overall and that is another way we can be tempted to have another rather than just stop at having one.

While on this topic of the underhand way that some changes are made without telling consumers, I noted a report late last year on research by the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health arguing that, because Coles and Woolworths run 80 per cent of the retail sector, the lack of competition can have a serious effect on public health. The ability to provide access to food, particularly fresh food, is a way to control what we eat. Programs to increase consumption of nutritious foods are doomed without greater competition. In fact, the report suggests that 'accessibility of health food choices as a result of a non-competitive grocery sector should be considered as a matter of public health as much as it is an economic one.' In an article in The Advertiser by Tory Shepherd mention is made of the same sort of thing as follows:

...a report issued last year by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics demonstrated that the entry of a major chain into a rural or remote area served to lower the price of groceries and increases access to fresh food.

It is not rocket science, is it? A dietician is also quoted as agreeing variety, price and quality of food could suffer if the two big supermarket giants dominate the retail sector any further. People are encouraged to buy local and keep our growers in business.

Time expired.

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