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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-05-17 Daily Xml
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OBESITY PREVENTION AND LIFESTYLE

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:38): Can the Minister for Health update the house on recent comments about the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle program?

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:38): I thank the member for his question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, member for MacKillop.

Mr WILLIAMS: I am struggling to understand on what basis the minister might be responsible to the house for recent comments.

The SPEAKER: I think that question is perfectly in order. Minister for Health.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Obesity is one of the most important health issues facing our society. Some would argue that it is now the most important issue facing our society. Unless obesity rates are reversed, this generation of children could be the first to die at a younger age than its parents. That is a tragic reality; it is something that all of us need to contemplate.

I am advised that 18.6 per cent of children in our state are either overweight or obese. However, 40 or 50 years ago, when some of us were growing up, the rate was 1 per cent—a huge increase in obesity over that period of time. Our Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle program, known by the acronym OPAL, is an innovative and world-leading response to what is a global problem. OPAL aims to improve the eating and physical activity patterns of children and increase the proportion of zero to 18 year olds who are in the healthy weight range.

This program is based on EPODE, the successful French approach to reducing childhood obesity. That program is now operating not only in France but in Belgium, Spain, Greece, Mexico, the Netherlands, and of course here in South Australia, and I am told that there is interest from parts of America, Ireland and England.

The shadow education minister has been a constant critic of this program, and he is entitled to do that. He has been a constant critic of its inventor, Dr Jean-Michel Borys. The shadow spokesperson has put in 38 different FOI requests to the Department of Health, so he is a bit obsessed by this program. Yesterday, the shadow minister for education made what would be considered libellous comments about Dr Borys, calling him on radio 'a hired gun for the junk food industry'. Just to remind the house, Dr Borys—

Mr Pisoni: The French sugar industry; they are all his clients.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The buffoon is shouting again.

Mr Pisoni: All his clients.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: It's the cry of the native buffoon again. Just to remind the house that Dr Borys is a—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Because a spittoon is a type of camel.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Dr Borys is a highly—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. Member for Finniss.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PENGILLY: Standing order 125 in relation to the comments that the Minister for Health made about the member for Unley.

The SPEAKER: If I recall, the member for Unley made the same comments last week about a member on the other side, so I think it is perhaps even there. I presume that is the comment you are talking about, not the one that came from the floor. No point of order. Minister.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Madam Speaker, I would not say things if they did not interject; that is all I say to the house.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! That's right, and you won't respond to their interjections.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Just to remind the house that Dr Borys is a highly reputable, internationally renowned medical doctor, endocrinologist and nutritionist, and has been the director of EPODE since 2004. The shadow minister may wish to compare his views on EPODE and its founder with those of his leader, who visited with Dr Borys in Paris in April 2009. In her travel report—a very, very good travel report—the leader said, 'Approximately two years ago—'

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Now, listen to this:

Approximately two years ago, Health Minister John Hill invited all MPs to a briefing session with Dr Jean-Michel Borys, a French doctor with expertise in tackling issues of obesity in the community. I attended that Briefing and was impressed with the approach of Dr Borys to obesity and how it is best treated via a broad-based community approach. Ultimately, the whole community needs to be educated, to understand and to participate if there is to be any real improvement. When I met Dr Borys he also mentioned that he has a program, based on the same model as the general EPODE program, but targeting specifically the older population. I was interested in finding out more about how such a program is initiated on the ground.

The leader then goes on to conclude:

Given the ageing of our population in Australia generally and in South Australia in particular, it also seems obvious that we should be looking to introduce a similar program here.

So, the opposition leader not only lauded EPODE and its director but also wanted the program extended so it applied to aged people in South Australia as well. I commend the Leader of the Opposition for being bipartisan in relation to this important community issue. Obesity in children should be beyond politics. Sadly, the member for Unley politicises everything. He has only one point of view; that is to be oppositionist.

The seriousness of obesity cannot be overrated. The global increase in overweight and obese people has been labelled by the World Health Organisation as a global epidemic representing a serious public health challenge to the 21st century. We will be evaluating the effectiveness of OPAL over the eight years that this program is running in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Look, I would invite the anti-intellectual rump—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —of the Liberal Party—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —to ask questions about why we should evaluate a program, why we should spend money on having scientists evaluate a program. Of course, they would make the decisions all for themselves without having any advice from experts.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The member for Norwood would lead a little clinical team. He would put on a white coat and he would go out and do it all by himself. Well, we are going to get people who understand science, who understand nutrition and understand children, who can work this through. I am pleased to say that 10 councils are now involved, and that will expand to 20 over the next couple of years. The evaluation is being—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I am happy to go through the councils, including the Mount Gambier council, the mayor of which is a former Liberal candidate for parliament. He is happily supporting this program, as are a whole range of mayors from a variety of political backgrounds. This is bipartisan everywhere, except in this chamber.

The evaluation is being overseen by OPAL's scientific advisory panel, which is chaired by Professor Boyd Swinburn who is a world leading expert.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: You wouldn't know about those kinds of things.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: It includes some of Australia's pre-eminent advisers on anti-obesity measures. There will be growth checks of 9 to 11 year olds and for 14 to 16 year olds, which will measure, in private—unlike the Channel 10 story last night which showed children being measured in public; it won't be in public, it will be in private—their height, weight and waist circumference by trained health professionals.

Participation will be voluntary and with parental permission. Those taking part will be de-identified and all data collected will be confidential. We would hope that this evaluation will show the kinds of results that have been witnessed in France where childhood obesity rates have turned around in communities that have been involved.

This is why we are doing it: because it is working in France. It is reducing the rate of childhood obesity in the communities that have signed up to it. We want to do something about this problem in our community before it gets out of hand. What does the opposition want to do? Who knows?

This government is committed to combating obesity. I suggest to the member for Unley, instead of just being an oppositionist, come up with some positive ideas of your own. Tell us what you would do. Tell us what the opposition would do.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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