Page 401 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 21 March 2023
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Children and young people—childhood healthy eating and active living
Ministerial statement
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Families and Community Services and Minister for Health) (10.32): I rise today to make a statement in relation to report No 7/2022 of the ACT Auditor-General, ACT childhood healthy eating and active living programs, and the government’s response to this audit. I wish to thank the Auditor-General for undertaking this audit, which looked back at ACT government activities between 2013 and 2021 to support childhood healthy eating and active living. I also wish to thank agencies and stakeholders who participated.
The audit’s objective was to assess the effectiveness of the planning, management and delivery of ACT government programs and services to support childhood healthy eating and active living, including the development of preventive health strategies. It considered cross-agency strategies; programs supporting childhood healthy eating and active living; and treatment services for children with atypical eating and activity behaviours, atypical weight gain and related health concerns. These policies, programs and services relate primarily to the Health, Education, Transport Canberra and City Services and Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development directorates, as well as Canberra Health Services.
The government welcome’s the audit’s findings and has closely considered its eight recommendations. In the government’s response, which I provided out of session to Assembly members on 28 February 2023, the government agreed to three recommendations, agreed in principle to four, and did not agree to one recommendation. Broadly, the government supports the intent of the recommendations.
I note that four of the recommendations relate to the Healthy Canberra ACT Preventive Health Plan 2020-2025, from here on referred to as the Healthy Canberra Plan, and the new three-year action plan that we are developing in 2023. These recommendations call for strengthened approaches to target priority populations; food relief and addressing poverty in the ACT; the inclusion of professional learning and practice guidelines about weight stigma; and improved monitoring and reporting of the plan itself. The other four recommendations relate to the review or evaluation of the ACT kindergarten health check, school active travel programs, school crossing supervisors, and community need for multidisciplinary treatment services for children aged 0 to 17 years to address atypical eating, weight gain and activity behaviours.
The report finds the opportunity to respond to many of these recommendations through the Healthy Canberra Plan, which was launched in December 2019, just prior to the commencement of the public health emergency due to COVID and all of the impacts that the global pandemic has had across our community and health system. The Healthy Canberra Plan was developed to expand and continue the work of the Healthy Weight Initiative. It provides a framework for preventive action across government, including through the programs mentioned, as well as many more initiatives guiding a large part of the preventive health agenda in the ACT.
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