Mr J. BULL (Sunbury) — I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak on the Food Amendment (Kilojoule Labelling Scheme and Other Matters) Bill 2016. I certainly do not think the member for Bass falls into the obese or overweight category. I think possibly his error may have been in his calculations. I am more than happy for us to sit down and have coffee after the joint sitting, and I will give him a bit of a hand with those calculations. He may have had his coefficients mixed up. I am more than happy to give the member for Bass some assistance with that.

The member for Bass in his contribution said that no-one takes notice of these boards. I like the member for Bass, but I think on this occasion he was misled and was certainly speaking from his heart rather than his head. The data and the evidence show otherwise. If we have a look at the evaluation of the introduction of the kilojoule labelling laws in New South Wales, for example, we can see that the average number of kilojoules consumed per meal decreased by 15 per cent, or 500 kilojoules, after the legislation actually came into effect. That is based on solid evidence and solid data. The government is not removing personal choice on this but is rather helping people make educated decisions around foods that they consume.

This bill, as we have heard this evening, addresses a growing trend not just here in Victoria but across Australia and indeed around the world. The member for Macedon spoke about the importance of improving public health and wellbeing and helping people live longer and live stronger. I am certainly of the view that the human body can do extraordinary things. If we look at the body’s functions and the way it changes throughout life, I think it is fascinating to see all the things that the body is able to do.

We have heard this evening about advances in modern medicine and the things that our doctors and nurses can do. We have come so far, certainly in public health, when we look at things like organ transplants and blood transfusions saving lives. These are things that happen each and every day. But for all of these advances we certainly know that there are areas where we have actually gone backwards, and this bill addresses the growing concern about obesity not just in this state but across the nation, as I have mentioned.

If we look back to much earlier times, it is true to say that the way we move around in our society has changed. Certainly changes within our workplace and through the evolution of technology — I can see a number of members sitting here this evening on their phones or iPads — and the way that we interact with each other through computers have often given rise to a much slower lifestyle that sees the human body moving a lot less.

Mr Pearson interjected.

Mr J. BULL — I thank the member for Essendon for the compliment.

Mr Pearson interjected.

Mr J. BULL — I will not talk about my running, member for Essendon, because this bill is certainly not about me. I know you are a very good runner as well.

I want for just one second to look at a very disruptive technology, uberEATS. If we have a look at that right now, if the member for Essendon wanted to, he could hop onto his iPhone — I know he has the uberEATS app — and he could order whatever he wanted to be delivered, possibly not here — —

Ms Green interjected.

Mr J. BULL — It can be delivered here? That in itself is an incredible thing. If you think about 5, 10 or 20 years ago, the way that we would actually get our food — —

Ms Williams interjected.

Mr J. BULL — I know the member for Dandenong is disappointed that she does not have uberEATS in her electorate. My point is, society has changed significantly and with these changes, as a government, we certainly need to respond. I am not saying these are bad things. I am just saying that as we move forward — and I disagree strongly with the member for Bass — we need to be responsive to these things. Approximately two-thirds of Victorians are overweight or obese, as we have heard, and these rates are rising rapidly. We know that obesity is a major risk factor in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certainly a number of cancers and other things.

A recent article by Jessica Irvine states:

A new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers for Obesity Australia published this week makes the economic case for tackling obesity.

It finds that, without action, one in three Australians will be obese by 2025, up from about one in four.

She goes on to note:

What surprises me about that figure is that it is not higher.

Structural changes in our economy have seen the rise of powerful food companies producing high calorie, dense and cheap processed foods which are available 24/7.

Meanwhile, the rise of car ownership and desk-bound jobs has reduced our daily need for calories.

We know we have heard that obesity is a complex issue and a highly personal one, and not for a second do we stand here and claim to know all there is to know about what is for many a very challenging issue. But governments have responsibility for public health and public wellbeing. This is the important space that this bill looks to address. As we have said more broadly, it is not necessarily always just about the foods we are consuming but also about our lifestyles. I know as a government we are committed to looking at people’s lifestyles to make sure they can stay healthy, stay active and improve their general health and the health of their families as they go on to live long and happy lives. I think this is certainly one component of the public health sector that we need to look at; however, there are so many elements within society and changes within a rapidly growing society that we need to address.

Reports like that of PricewaterhouseCoopers and so many others are now becoming the norm. This should indeed worry us. There are many examples, as I have mentioned, where fast foods are readily distributed and easily picked up, and not for a moment do I think that these should not be in society. However, they should be considered more a treat. Much of this does come down to education and understanding what we are eating and the effects on the body. That is why, as we have heard this evening, this is very important legislation. Under this bill, large fast-food chains and large chain supermarkets will be required to display kilojoule information for food and non-alcoholic beverages on menus, menu boards and food labels.

To place kilojoule information in context, outlets will be required to display the statement ‘The average adult daily energy intake is 8700 kilojoules’ on each menu and on each display cabinet stand or area where standard food items are displayed. We know if we look at other jurisdictions that there are a number of other jurisdictions in this nation that have introduced similar schemes: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. All of those indicate very favourably in terms of a scheme where positive results have been seen. There are many instances where we have seen greater regulation and improved regulation resulting in improved public health and wellbeing.

This is an example of a piece of legislation that certainly goes towards assisting people to make those educated and important decisions about what they consume. It is a piece of legislation that I think is overdue. It certainly gives rise to a range of broader conversations around what we can do as a government to improve people’s health and wellbeing. It is about changing society — a society where you are able to get high-density foods readily. There is always an element of personal choice with that, but helping people make the right decision, the smart decision, is the responsible thing to do in government. I commend the bill to the house.