Ms PLIBERSEK (3:44 PM) —I move:

Obesity is increasing in Australian children. Almost one in four children is overweight or obese. The numbers of overweight and obese children have increased substantially in recent years, and the health effects for those children as they grow into adulthood are very serious indeed. Of course, we do not want to cause a panic and we do not want to stigmatise overweight children, or overweight people generally, nor contribute to societal pressures which lead other young people to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, but somewhere there has to be a healthy middle ground. As a community, we have to encourage healthier exercise and eating habits and teach our children good habits for the future.

Recent studies looking at adults estimate that 67 per cent of Australian men and 52 per cent of Australian women aged 25 years and over are overweight or obese. It is no wonder then that between 19 and 23 per cent of children, depending on age, are overweight or obese. In the 10-year period from 1985 to 1995, the level of combined overweight and obese children in Australia has more than doubled, whilst the level of obesity tripled in all age groups for both sexes. Obesity costs the whole community due to the increased health costs of associated illnesses and of course the lost productivity also associated with that ill health. Estimates for 1995-96, which are the most recent ones I could lay my hands on, suggest that the cost of obesity to the Australian community is between $680 million and $1.239 billion per annum—very substantial costs indeed. This is a phenomenon that is not limited to Australia and is evident in most developed countries, where the availability of high-calorie foods combined with decreased activity has led to similar outcomes as those here. We are second only to the US, though, in those levels of the overweight and obese. I think that this needs looking at, because countries such as the Netherlands that have similar levels of societal wealth have not seen obesity increase to the same extent.

Children themselves identify the greatest immediate problem associated with obesity as the teasing and social isolation that they face. We have to stop that teasing, but the other effects are equally serious and not as readily identified by the children themselves. The sorts of effects I am talking about are gastrointestinal illnesses, endocrine illnesses or certain orthopaedic problems that children of normal weight are not as likely to develop. Type 2 diabetes, which used to be called late onset diabetes, is becoming evident in adolescence earlier and earlier. Overweight children and obese children are more likely to grow into overweight or obese adults, and there are any number of associated ill health effects that I am sure most of us are aware of.

The New South Wales government took this issue very seriously and instituted a New South Wales Childhood Obesity Summit in September last year. I believe the Victorian government also had a similar summit. The communique from the New South Wales government summit is very well worth reading. It lays out any number of very sensible suggestions for dealing with this problem. It is very important that governments of all levels work with parents and schools to help children develop healthy eating and exercise habits. The best way to do that is for whole families to gradually change the way they eat and the sorts of recreational activities they pursue. To make changes that benefit whole families, firstly we need to help parents better balance work and family. The growth in overtime, particularly unpaid overtime, means that parents have much less time to take kids to sport, to sport practice and to sporting events on the weekend. On the weekends parents are catching up with grocery shopping and cleaning, which means that they are also not able to participate in active recreation with their children. So a cut back in unpaid overtime and making sure that families actually have reasonable time for recreation is probably the first and most important thing that we as governments can do to support families in changing the way they recreate.

We should also consider making it easier for families to afford to have their kids in sporting activities. A lot of families cannot afford the registration and the gear that goes along with joining the local soccer club. We should examine ways of making those sports more affordable, including perhaps looking at exemption from the GST as something to consider. Secondly, governments need to participate in making neighbourhoods safer. Obviously parents who are worried about their children walking to school or playing unsupervised after school are much more likely to drive kids to school or discourage them from riding bikes. This is the way that most people used to get their regular exercise—just walking to school. It is something that a lot of young children are missing out on today. Governments can help with this by improving urban design and by supporting safety house programs, neighbourhood centres and youth services which provide supervised play. Local councils can help support setting up groups for children to walk to school together.

Thirdly, as parents we can turn off the electronic babysitter. There is no question that children who watch a lot of TV are more likely to develop weight problems. Data from the New South Wales Child Health Survey 2001 found that 40 per cent of children aged five to 12 years watched about two hours or more of television or videos a day on average, and 15 per cent reported playing computer games for an hour or more a day on average. A lot of those kids are also snacking in front of the TV. When they are doing that they are more likely to eat more and to eat less healthy foods, especially because of the barrage of advertising that is aimed at kids. The Australian Divisions of General Practice issued a study at the end of February that showed that 99 per cent of food advertisements on TV are for foods with little nutritional value. The study also showed that during the summer holidays children would have watched an average of three hours and 22 minutes of junk food advertising alone. With those sorts of messages it is pretty easy to understand why kids are reaching for unhealthy snacks rather than healthier alternatives.

As governments, we can encourage children to be active while they are at school and provide support for in school programs, after school programs and out of school hours care programs that encourage physical activity. We need to make it clear to kids that you do not have to be perfect at a sport to go out and get some exercise, that just moving is important. If you do not like netball and you do not like soccer, go bushwalking or go ballroom dancing. It does not really matter as long as there is some physical activity involved.

We need to take account of gender and ethnic differences to make sure that groups of kids are not missing out because of a lack of availability of culturally appropriate facilities for them. As parents, we need to teach children healthy eating habits. That starts with supporting breastfeeding, and governments have a very important role to play there. It also means that where parents are not able to provide healthy food for their children—or are not interested in doing so—governments need to support schools that provide breakfast or after-school snack programs and make sure that those programs actually provide healthy food for kids. Those kids are bound to see a dramatic increase in their school performance if they do simple things like have breakfast. There is a great deal of evidence to show that the changes such programs make to children's diets and educational outcomes are quite striking. I know that most parents are striving to do the best they can for their kids, and my comments today are not designed to increase the guilt and worry that many parents have already—at the end of the day, no-one benefits from guilt and stress. But if we work together to raise healthier children, the potential benefits are enormous.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Jenkins)—Is the motion seconded?

Ms King —I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.