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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-15 Daily Xml
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OPAL

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (15:39): This week I was very pleased to see, when I opened my Messenger, some very bright and colourful pamphlets promoting the OPAL activities in and around Morphett Vale, which is, of course, my electorate. There has been much discussion of OPAL in this house over the years, with the Minister for Health being a strong advocate of the OPAL program, which involves communities and governments working together to create activities that lead to people eating well, having fun and being active.

The Leader of the Opposition visited this program in France, where it is called 'EPODE', but the member for Unley has been a staunch critic of the OPAL program and did not seem to believe that it would ever do anything at all. Well, it is alive and well in Onkaparinga and particularly, as I said, focusing around Morphett Vale.

There are other suburbs that are participating, but a lot of the activities for the three weeks of OPAL activities that we are about to enjoy—from Monday, 26 September through to Friday, 14 October—in Morphett Vale, involving community centres and schools. Activities are also taking place just up the road at the Woodcroft Plaza Chemplus, down the road the community centre in Aberfoyle Park, and at the Old Reynella Foodland, where there will be a healthy snacks cooking demonstration. The community at all levels is getting involved in the OPAL program.

One of the enclosures in the Messenger was directed at parents, and it was entitled 'Make it a fresh snack.' It provides ideas for healthy kids and healthy snacks, and includes information on 'Make it Fresh', 'Make it easier for you too,' 'Quick & easy lunchbox snacks,' and, 'Save money and keep the kids happy'. It points out that one kilogram of homemade popcorn costs $3.25, in comparison with a kilogram of potato chips, which costs $28.67. Fresh apples cost $4.48 a kilogram, compared with dried fruit straps, at $42.45 a kilogram. Wholegrain crackers with sliced cheese cost $12.50 a kilogram, compared with pre-packed crackers and dip, at $34.22 a kilogram.

Unfortunately, there are still some people who believe that fresh fruit and vegetables are too expensive. Through this basic information that people can use on a daily basis, together with supporting information about costs, people can learn that they can feed their children interesting snacks and meals that their children will gradually come to enjoy, at a cheaper price. One of the panels states, 'Got fussy eaters? Try this'. It points out:

Be patient it can take at least 10 tries before kids will try a new food, so don't give up in the first few days.

Heap on the praise—let them know you're happy when they try new foods.

Be a role model—make it a fresh snack for yourself, eat with your kids and benefit from a fresh way of eating.

While these tips might all seem fairly sensible common sense—although I had never heard that it takes 10 tries to get a kid to try broccoli—they have been well-researched in the community. The OPAL workers based in the City of Onkaparinga have been out talking with many different groups to try to see what will engage them.

They have undertaken many activities such as labelling and getting people to guess what is in different foods. They have talked to teenagers about value for money and how they can buy their new car or something else they want if they change from chips to apples. They have really tried to engage different demographics on the issues that will help them take small steps towards being more healthy and more active.

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