25 October 2005 - Media Release

Walking School Bus a great start

ACT Labor Senator Kate Lundy will board Giralang Primary School's Walking School Bus this morning, during Children's Week to highlight a great initiative in our community that addresses our children's wellbeing.

"It is now widely accepted that our children are leading far more sedentary lifestyles which combined with a generally poorer diet, has lead to a rise in the number of our children unhealthily overweight," Senator Lundy said.

"Managed by the YWCA and supported by schools and volunteers across Canberra the Walking School Bus program is an initiative looking to turn this damning trend around."

"The Walking School Bus provides a safe, social and practical way to get Canberra's children active – helping to build positive exercise habits early in our children's life. Children are not the only beneficiaries as the parents who 'drive' the bus also get to walk to and from school each trip," Senator Lundy said.

Children's obesity levels have been estimated as nearly tripling in the last ten years. The National Obesity Taskforce estimated last year that there are now 1.5 million Australian children who are overweight or obese. 

A Walking School Bus is a group of primary school children who walk to and from school along a safe and enjoyable set route, accompanied by a minimum of two parent driver/supervisors per 'bus'.  The walking bus picks up 'passengers' along the way at designated 'bus stops'.

The 'bus' can go as seldom or as often as parents want to 'drive' it and children want to use it.  This means that it can even operate as little as one morning or afternoon each week.

"The service is free, and I want to encourage more schools and families to become involved," Senator Lundy said.

Senator Lundy will 'hop on' the Walking School Bus with the pupils of Giralang Primary at 8.30 am in Phoenix Place, Giralang. She will be available for interview en route or at 9am following the walk at Giralang Primary, Canopus Crescent, Giralang.

Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334

21 October 2005 - Media Release

Belconnen Blue Devils should be reinstated

The Belconnen Blue Devils, the ACT’s premier football team, have been omitted from the 2006 NSW Premier League Season after teams to form the competition were announced late last week.

 “This disappointing decision comes despite the team qualifying for finals in four of the five seasons they have competed in the competition – so this is not a decision based on performance,” ACT Labor Senator Kate Lundy said today.

“The Belconnen Blue Devils have made a huge impact on the ACT football community. The stadium in McKellar is now one of the best of its kind in the country, the team has engendered a following in the region and has provided and elite pathway for talented football players in the ACT and surrounding region - preventing the talent drain to Sydney and Melbourne.”

“This is yet another blow for elite sport in the Canberra Region, with another successful ACT team falling to the politics of NSW sporting associations,” Senator Lundy said.

Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334

20 October 2005 - Media Release

Stanhope’s web spotlight foils Howard Government secrecy on terror

By putting the proposed anti-terror legislation up on the internet, the ACT's Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has done a great public service to Australians. 

The Howard Government hoped to prevent detailed scrutiny and debate of this legislation and in a bold move Mr Stanhope has circumvented this attempted secrecy by placing the draft bills on his website.

Mr Stanhope has broken no laws nor has he revealed any national secrets.  What he has done is shine a spotlight on poorly drafted legislation that has apparently already been revised twice since the version Mr Stanhope released.

Labor will develop a position on the legislation when we see the final version introduced to the Parliament.

The current Government proposal to give the Senate very little time to hold a decent inquiry into the anti-terror legislation is an outrageous farce.  By forcing the Senate committee to report by 8 November, in effect the Howard Government is allowing just one day for the committee to consider this very serious legislation.

Labor has proposed that the Senate committee be given a month to consider the legislation and report by 28th November, which would still enable it to be dealt with before the end of the sitting year.

The way in which the Howard Government has approached the handling of this important and sensitive legislation is an abuse of Senate practice and the Parliament and will only lead to public suspicion of the true motivation of the Government.

Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334

12 October 2005 - Media Release

Government Does Nothing as Australian's Weight Balloons

The Howard Government has done nothing to arrest the dramatic rise of obesity amongst Australians.

Current estimates suggest that 2.4 million Australian adults are obese and a further 4.9 million are overweight.  Levels of obesity amongst women have doubled in the last 15 years.  Children's obesity is estimated to have nearly tripled in the last ten years.

The Howard Government can't point the finger at anybody else – this crisis has developed on their watch.

For example last month the Government released the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.  This is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the health of Australian women involving 40,000 women nationwide and it showed women's obesity has risen as much as 8% amongst younger women.

A contributing factor to this trend is that a large number of working Australian adults don't have time to exercise and as a result the proportion of the adult population that undertakes sufficient physical activity for health benefit has declined steadily over the last decade.

The CSIRO's Total Wellbeing Diet publication highlights the need for nutritious food and physical exercise.

What is missing is leadership.  The Howard Government has not provided the leadership necessary in the area of adult and children's physical activity and good nutrition to make an impact on ballooning obesity.

Here is the link to Senator Lundy's speech to the Parliament on these issues.

Contact: Taryn Langdon 0417 148 059 or 02 6277 3334