At the Australian Health Ministers conference held today (27 July) in Brisbane, the division between state and federal attitudes to health policy was once more underlined by Federal Health Minister Tony Abbot’s refusal to consider a ban on television junk food advertising aimed at children.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
At the meeting, New South Wales (NSW) representatives, with the support of the other states and territories, called on Abbot to tackle the issue. NSW lodged a proposal that included an option to ban junk food ads on television before 8.30pm.
Abbot had shied away from this measure at the last Health Ministers conference in April, stating that it was the responsibility of parents, not the Government, to regulate children’s diets and television viewing.
After a protracted debate today, Abbot again sidestepped the subject by tabling a letter from PM John Howard ordering the debate to be shut down.
Queensland Minister for Health Stephen Robertson lamented Abbot’s failure to adopt a ban on the advertising of unhealthy foods aimed at children.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataRobertson said: “Today’s backdown from the Howard Government shows they have no intention of finding workable solutions to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is the epidemic of the 21st century and this generation may be the first to die younger than their parents. However, Mr Abbott and Mr Howard would have us believe there is no role for Australia’s Health Ministers in promoting appropriate advertising standards for junk food.”
Robertson said that the states and territories did not intend to drop the issue. “Today, without Mr Abbott, the states and territories resolved to form a working party to examine relevant regulatory codes in conjunction with industry with a view to reviewing marketing and advertising practices,” he said. “That means we will not let this issue slide off our agenda.”
The governments of the states and territories are concerned that junk food advertising will worsen Australia’s obesity levels and encourage children to eat unhealthy foods.
“Obesity is increasing in Australia at an alarming rate and we have one of the world’s highest numbers of television food advertisements per hour – higher than the United States and the United Kingdom,” Robertson said.
“The vast majority of food ads promote foods that are high in fat and sugar and of low nutritional value. Latest statistics indicate an Australian child is exposed to 77 ads for foods high in fat and/or sugar every week. There is now sufficient evidence that food advertising has a significant influence on children’s eating habits and that is enough to warrant immediate action.
Robertson added that between 25% and 30% of Australian children are overweight or obese, suggesting that this is a growing problem. “If the current trends continue, half of Australia’s children will be in the unhealthy weight range by 2020,” he said. “The impact on our health system and our communities will be massive. Health expenditure treating conditions linked to obesity will also increase.”
Abbot announced last week (19 July) that a taskforce to tackle obesity will be established by the Australian Federal Government.
“The taskforce will coordinate the anti-obesity campaign involving government, industry and community. The taskforce will include the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan; the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop; the Minister for Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, as well as the Secretaries of these departments. I will chair the taskforce,” Abbot said.
“The Government will also conduct a series of surveys to determine what Australians are eating and their levels of physical activity, beginning with children. This will inform preventive activities to reduce the incidence of obesity as well as chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes,” Abbot continued.
Rather than limiting the levels of junk food advertising that children are exposed to, the government has proposed increasing the availability of information on what constitutes a healthy diet.
“Clear and accessible information through a variety of policies, programmes and publications will help Australians make healthy life choices. Helping consumers make informed choices about their lifestyle, particularly about the food they eat, is an important role for industry as well as government. The Government wants to support, motivate and educate Australians to build a healthy, active life, not to regulate or ban,” Abbot concluded.
