Children

Greens welcome AMA support for regulation of junk food advertising

Media Release | Spokesperson Bob Brown
Tuesday 22nd November 2011, 5:12pm
in

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today welcomed the support of the Australian Medical Association, which represents more than 27,000 doctors, for regulations to protect children from junk food advertising.


Senator Brown introduced new legislation into the Senate on Monday - the Protecting Children from Junk Food Advertising (Broadcasting and Telecommunications Amendment) Bill 2011 - as self-regulation by the industry has clearly failed.


"As AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton said today, the bill addresses Australia's alarming rates of child obesity and highlights the fact that voluntary measures don't work," Senator Brown said.


The Greens' bill, set to be debated next year, would ban junk food ads on commercial television from 6-9am and 4-9 pm on weekdays and from 6am-12pm and 4-9pm on weekends and during school holidays, as well as banning junk food ads from pay-TV services aimed at children, in line with Obesity Policy Coalition recommendations. The bill also places a prohibition on using the internet and digital services such as SMS and email to promote junk food to children.


"We can't leave the health of our children to the whims and decisions of the industry that profits from the sales of junk food ... Flash advertising, especially in peak children's television viewing times, is a major contributor to unhealthy junk food choices" - Dr Hambleton, AMA President


 

Sarah and the Australian Greens help promote the 'Welcome to Australia' one million welcomes campaign

Greens TV | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Tuesday 22nd November 2011, 3:22pm
in

Sarah was joined in Parliament House by fellow Greens Penny Wright, Larissa Waters and Richard di Natale for the one million welcomes campaign being run by Welcome to Australia. Sarah's an ambassador, along with Steve Georganas MP and Judi Moylan MP. First speaker is Brad Chilcott, director and founder of Welcome to Australia.

Greens applaud Human Rights Commission's inquiry into detained Indonesian children

Media Release | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Monday 21st November 2011, 5:31pm
in

The Australian Greens have welcomed news the Australian Human Rights Commission will investigate the detention in adult prisons of Indonesians who are crew members of asylum seeker boats and claim to be children.

21 11 11 Sarah at Senate doors on Greens' bill to stop Indonesian children being put in Australian adult prisons

Greencast | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Monday 21st November 2011, 10:58am
in

Audio from Sarah's door stop outside the Senate entrance, Monday 21/11/11.

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Parliament has a duty to protect children from junk food ads

Media Release | Spokesperson Bob Brown
Sunday 20th November 2011, 12:52pm
in

The Australian Greens will introduce new legislation on Monday to protect children from junk food advertising, after the Gillard Government and the Opposition wasted an opportunity earlier this year when they blocked Greens legislation despite public support for the Bill and recommendations from health experts.

"We have a burgeoning health crisis of childhood obesity and need to curb the relentless advertising of unhealthy foods to children," Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Melbourne.

"The problem is not going away. It is getting worse. Self-regulation has clearly failed and the Australian parliament has a duty to act. This Bill is about the wellbeing of our community and future generations and expands on previous work by the Greens, to cover pay-TV and new media."

"Protecting children from junk food advertising is part of the comprehensive approach we need to take to manage the obesity epidemic in our community. Research clearly shows that the existing advertising industry code is inadequate, as the highest rating children's shows are being saturated with junk food promotions."

The Protecting Children from Junk Food Advertising (Broadcasting and Telecommunications Amendment) Bill 2011 would ban junk food ads on commercial television from 6-9am and 4-9 pm on weekdays from 6am-12pm and 4-9pm on weekends and school holidays, as well as banning junk food ads from pay-TV services aimed at children, in line Obesity Policy Coalition recommendations.

The Bill also places a prohibition on using the internet and digital services such as SMS and email to promote junk food to children.

The Obesity Policy Coalition includes the Cancer Council Victoria, Diabetes Australia - Victoria, VicHealth and the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Obesity Prevention at Deakin University.

The Obesity Coalition's report into unhealthy food adverting is supported by the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance (including Cancer Council Australia, Diabetes Australia and the National Heart Foundation), the Australian Medical Association, and the Coalition on Food Advertising to Children.

 

Mental health expert confirms detention providers not following immigration department protocols

Media Release | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Friday 18th November 2011, 3:36pm
in

An expert advising the federal government has told an inquiry there is confusion between detention contractors and the Immigration Department about protocols for handling detainees with mental illnesses, the Australian Greens said today.

Greens back Jakarta’s call for all Indonesian children to be released from Australian jails

Media Release | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Wednesday 16th November 2011, 6:13pm
in

The Australian Greens have today welcomed the news another Indonesian boy, Dion Domun, has been released by a Melbourne court after people smuggling charges against him were dropped.

End the shame of locking up Indonesian children

Blog Post | Blog of Sarah Hanson-Young
Tuesday 15th November 2011, 10:27am
by ParisLord in

If an intellectually-disabled Australian boy was detained in an Indonesian prison without charge for two years before being quietly released and deported, Australians would be fuming. They'd be as upset as they are over the boy in a Bali prison on drugs possession charges.

Greens demand independent inquiry into detained Indonesian children

Media Release | Spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young
Monday 14th November 2011, 12:24pm
in

All Indonesians who are detained in Australian adult jails should be immediately released while they undergo processes to determine their ages, the Australian Greens said today.