“Australia Needs To Get Off Its Backside”: Demand For Inactivity Public Health Campaign

Following its successful 4-week ‘Fit for Office’ exercise challenge AUSactive, is calling on the government and the 28+ Federal MPs and Senators taking part to “step up and initiate as a matter of urgency a national physical activity strategy that goes beyond the existing, but token, 2021-2030 version”.

Pictured Above: left to right: Bridget Archer, Myzone CEO Emmett Williams, Susan McDonald (MP), AUSactive CEO Barrie Elvish, Fiona Philips, Melissa McIntosh, Tammy Tyrell, Dr Andrew Leigh.

The non-profit is urging the MPs and government to develop a public preventive health campaign to tackle Australia’s mental health and inactivity crisis akin to ‘Slip Slop Slap’, which is one of the most successful health campaigns in Australia’s history.

“We’ve had Fit for Office run, cycle and walk, now it’s time to Walk the Talk. Exercise is the most cost-effective and best preventive health strategy for managing and/or mitigating poor physical and mental health conditions and we want a public health campaign to promote this” said AUSactive CEO, Barrie Elvish.

“Regular exercise can and does change and save lives, and a health campaign like Slip Slop Slap would be extremely effective. It is of the most successful health campaigns in Australia’s history, with data showing it was effective, with melanoma rates declining in those born in 1980″.

“We need to rebalance the health system; we need to invest more in prevention. Australia already has a strong and successful health system, but it is under strain and unsustainable in its present form. We need to ensure that there is an equally strong prevention system. It will not only save lives but save the economy billions now and forever”.

The federal government has given grants to organisations working in the chronic health sector, but Mr Elvish says they deal primarily with managing existing health problems, rather than preventing them in the first place.

“Fit for Office has highlighted the benefits of exercise and how it makes people feel, particularly for busy people showing how incremental exercise can easily fit into daily lives,” Elvish adds.

“Encouraging the routine of physical activity is Step 1. We want the government to make good on its 2018 commitment to the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity and promote physical activity and exercise at a national level, including regional and remote areas, and at a community level, support it with amenities and programs”.

“It’s time to redress the rhetoric and start putting words into action”.

MPs taking part in the Fit for Office challenge include:

• Peter Dutton – Leader of the Opposition
• Senator David Pocock – former Wallabies Captain and the first Independent Senator for the ACT
• Hon Dr Andrew Leigh – Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury – Member for Fenner (ACT)
• Senator the Hon Anne Ruston – Shadow Minister for Health, Aged Care and Sport and Member for Renmark (SA)
• Senator Malarndirri McCarthy – Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health (NT)
• Senator Dorinda Cox – Senator for WA and Greens Spokesperson on First Nations, Mining and Resources, Sport, Trade, Tourism
• Senator Tammy Tyrrell – Senator for Tasmania
• Kristy McBain – Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories and Member for Eden Monaro (NSW)
• Melissa McIntosh – Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Federal Member for Lindsay (NSW)
• Angie Bell – Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education Shadow Minister forYouth and Member for Moncrieff (Gold Coast, Q’land)
• Dr Sophie Scamps – Member forMackellar (NSW)
• Allegra Spender – Member for Wentworth (NSW)
• Dr Helen Haines – Independent Member for Indi (Vic)
• Fiona Phillips – Member for Gilmore (NSW)
• Rebekha Sharkie – Federal Member for Mayo (SA)
• Ms Melissa Price – Opposition Whip, Member for Durack (WA)
• Ms Alison Byrnes – Member for Cunningham (NSW)
• Ms Bridget Archer – Member for Bass (TAS)
• Dr Zoe Daniel – Member for Goldstein (VIC)
• Ms Susan Templeman MP – Federal Member for Macquarie (NSW) and Special Envoy for the Arts
• Senator Susan McDonald – Senator for Queensland Liberal National Party of Queensland
• Andrew Wallace MP – Federal Member for Fisher Sunshine Coast
• Bridget McKenzie – Nationals Senator for Victoria Wodonga
• Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson – Shadow Minister for Education and a Liberal Senator for Victoria Geelong
• Dr Carina Garland – Federal Member for Chisholm (VIC)
• The Hon Angus Taylor, Shadow Treasurer and MP for Hume (NSW)

The pollies and their teams have been using MyZone heart rate monitors to track their physical activity. Results are recorded in real-time via a unique measurement called ‘Myzone Effort Points’ (MEPs), which uses heart rate data to quantify physical activity based on each person’s effort. The monitors show the pollies and their teams have burned 1,114,927 calories over 5823 hours.

The Fit for Office challengers is being graded among four categories:

• Top MP Point Earner
• Top Office Point Earner
• Top Office Point Average
• The most MPs and staff members reach the World Health Organisation Guidelines forPhysical Activity of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (or at least 75 minutes of moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity) per week.

Results as of Thursday, 19 October are:

Overall Active Challengers Total: 169

Workouts – 2,543

Duration – 6298 hrs

MEPs – 278,835

Calories burned – 1,257,091

Top MP MEP Earners

Andrew Leigh MP

Angus Taylor MP

Fiona Phillips MP

Top Office MEP Earner

Scott Burgess – (Angie Bell MP Office)

Top Office MEP Average- with 4 or more office participants 

Angie Bell MP

Top Office Highest Total MEPs

Dr Helen Haines MP