FRESH debate has erupted among federal parliamentarians and lobby groups over the merits of implementing a sugar tax to help reduce a national obesity epidemic and curtail junk food consumption.
Argument was prompted by the release of a new research report rating government policies for tackling obesity and creating healthier food environments which has made recommendations for Australian governments to consider.
The project was conducted by researchers at Deakin University collaborating with 53 different groups, including state and federal health agencies and officials, with the research team headed-up by the University’s Dr Gary Sacks.
The report said unhealthy diets and obesity were leading contributors to poor health in Australia, with 63 per cent of Australian adults and 25pc of Australian children overweight or obese.
“The costs associated with overweight and obesity have been estimated at over $56 billion each year,” it said.
The report said Australia was meeting best practice in implementation some policies, including: aspects of food labelling (like the Health Star Rating scheme and regulations on health claims); food prices (no GST on basic foods); and regular monitoring of population body weight.
But it said in several areas Australia was “significantly lagging behind” other countries in efforts to address unhealthy diets and obesity.
In nominating priority action areas, the report called for the development of an overall national strategy and implementation plan, for improving population nutrition
It said taxes to increase the price of unhealthy foods - especially sugary drinks - were also needed along with regulations to reduce the exposure of children to marketing of unhealthy food.
But the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) attacked the new report saying the national obesity plan was released by a group of academics and activists and ignored work already underway across the food and beverage sector to drive healthier choices.
AFGC CEO Mr Gary Dawson said the report was big on bans and taxes but short on common sense.
Mr Dawson said “highly interventionist” policies like banning certain foods and imposing new food taxes were like “putting a bureaucrat in every kitchen”.
“We know that for most people the answer is simply to move a bit more and eat a bit less,” he said.
Mr Dawson said the report ignored the strong commitment of governments, Australia’s food and beverage sector and health bodies in driving improved health outcomes which were “empowering” consumers through improved food labelling, reformulation, reducing portion sizes of products and encouraging increased physical activity.
He pointed to the federal government’s Healthy Food Partnership program and the rapid uptake of the Health Star Rating food labelling scheme as examples of practical action to encourage healthier choices.
“By contrast, this tired agenda of more and more food taxes and nanny-state bans has been tried in other countries with no evidence of an improvement in obesity rates,” he said.
“Giving consumers, and parents, the information and range of choices they need to improve the diet of themselves and their families is a more effective strategy than putting a bureaucrat in every kitchen.”
However, Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale backed the sugar tax and said the government had its “head in the sand” about Australia’s obesity epidemic and serious health implications for Australians.
“It is high time the government stepped up and listened to the chorus of experts from Australia and around the world about the role of a sugar tax – as part of package of policy responses – on driving down obesity,” he said.
“We know there is no silver bullet here, but a tax on sugary drinks has been estimated to reduce consumption by 12pc and we know it’s overwhelmingly kids who will benefit.
“Alongside better labelling, restrictions on junk food advertising to kids and better measures to get kids active – a sugar tax can work to drive down obesity.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Turnbull government was already taking action to tackle the obesity challenge and encourage all Australians to live healthy lives and dismissed any new sugar tax.
“We acknowledge today’s report, but it does not take into account a number of the government programs now underway,” he said.
“Obesity and poor diets are complex public health issue with multiple contributing factors, requiring a community-wide approach as well as behaviour change by individuals.
“We do not support a new tax on sugar to address this issue.
“Fresh fruit and vegetables are already effectively discounted as they do not have a GST applied.
“Whereas the GST is added to the cost of items such as chips, lollies, sugary drinks, confectionery, snacks, ice-cream and biscuits.
“We’re committed to tackling obesity, but increasing the family’s weekly shop at the supermarket isn’t the answer.”
Mr Hunt said unlike the Labor Party, his government don't believe increasing the family grocery bill at the supermarket “is the answer to this challenge”.
“We already have program in place to educate, support and encourage Australians to adopt and maintain a healthy diet and to lead an active life and there’s more to be done,” he said.
“Our Health Star Rating system helps people to make healthier choices when choosing packaged foods at the supermarket and encourages the food industry to reformulate their products to be healthier.”
Labor Leader Bill Shorten also said his party did not have any plans for a sugar tax abut advertising standards for junk food “need to toughen”.
Mr Shorten said “We've got to review the ability of junk food to be advertised at times on television when the kids are watching”.
“I'm a parent, I know the daily battle parents have to make sure your children eat healthy as opposed to eating junk food,” he said.
“I want our kids out playing more sport, I want them to spend less time on the screens - they're positively addicted to screens.
“I'm going to back the parents, I'm going to back the experts, I probably do think it’s time to toughen up advertising restrictions around junk food at peak periods when the little eyeballs are on the TV and getting all the wrong messages about food and healthy eating.”
NSW Liberal Democratic Senator David Leyonhjelm has been a vocal critic of the sugar tax and said today, following the report’s release, “Perhaps we could put a tax on experts to try and stop them telling us how to live our lives”.
Last year in response to a question form Senator Leyonhjelm where he said a sugar tax proposal was based on a “silly idea”, Nationals deputy-leader Fiona Nash said “a sugar tax is not government policy”.
“We absolutely believe that people need to be well informed when it comes to making their decisions about appropriate food and appropriate diet,” he said.
“That is why we put in place the Health Star Rating system, which is incredibly successful in informing people about making healthy food choices, and also the Healthy Food Partnership, which, I am pleased to say, I was involved in setting up to give better information to people.
“A sugar tax is not government policy.
“We certainly believe that people should take responsibility for their actions and for eating in a healthy way, but we do not support a simplistic reaction to a complex problem.”
Federal Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce is yet to comment on the most recent move to call for a sugar tax but last week nominated its rejection one of his party’s big achievements during his 12-months as leader.
He the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull understands that at times, “if I make the call, I’m not making it because I’ve got nothing to do - I’m making it because it’s important”.
“A classic example of that is when they (a range of people) started flying the kite for a sugar tax but we knocked that one out,” he said.
Last year, Mr Joyce opposed the sugar tax in backing sugar cane farmers’ warnings that it would have a negative impact on their industry’s production and was an overly simplistic way of blaming sugar for obesity and diabetes.