Senators and Federal MPs compete in exercise challenge
- Written by The Times
Aussie MPS Australia is in the grip of a mental health and inactivity crisis, yet research from the University of South Australia showing physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or leading medications when it comes to managing depression.
Data shows:
9 Australians die by suicide every day
4.2 million Aussies have experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months
Almost one in 3 people are unlikely to reach out for support due to cost
Mental health issues are estimated to cost the Australian economy up to $60 billion annually in health care, lost productivity and many other direct and indirect costs, and physical inactivity accounted for around $2.4 billion in health spending in 2018-19.
As a result, the ‘Fit for Office Get All Parliamentarians Physically Active’ challenge is from AUSactive – Australia's peak body for the exercise and active health sector – to encourage Aussies ‘from the top’ to be active more often with the aim of tackling Australia’s mental health crisis and inactivity to relieve the economic burden on the healthcare system.
As a result, more than 28 Senators and Federal MPs and 120 of their staff are competing against each other until 22 October in a four-week exercise challenge to tackle Australia’s mental health and inactivity crisis to prove they are “Fit for Office”.
Signed up to the challenge so far are:
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 (SA)
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 and Federal Member for Lindsay (NSW)
Angie Bell – Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education Shadow Minister for Youth and Member for Moncrieff (Gold Coast, Q’land)
Dr Sophie Scamps – Member for Mackellar (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
Angus Taylor – Member for Hume
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
The Hon Angus Taylor, Shadow Treasurer and MP for Hume
AUSactive – Australia's peak body for the exercise and active health sector – and Myzone have launched the ‘Fit for Office initiative with Myzone to lobby the government to to accelerate its preventative mental health and inactivity strategy and relieve the economic burden on the healthcare system by promoting the importance of regular exercise.
The pollies and their teams are using MyZone heart rate monitors until October 22 to track their physical activity, with their exercise efforts shown in real-time on a group leaderboard.
AUSactive CEO, Barrie Elvish, says the University of South Australia's research is evidence of the positive impacts regular activity can have on an individual’s health and wellbeing.
“Physical inactivity must be addressed as it is a major public health issue in Australia,” he says.
“There are huge savings to be made to the Australian health budget by increasing physical activity and AUSactive's position is that prevention is better than cure.
“With one in eight people worldwide living with a mental disorder, and one in five Australians experiencing a mental disorder in the last 12 months, the research set out to understand the impact and results exercise can achieve for patients.
“The worldwide cost of mental health disorders is set to rise from $2.3 trillion to $6 trillion by 2030 and while the benefit of exercise for depression and anxiety is generally recognised, it is often overlooked in the management of these conditions.
“We are also ranked 140th out of 146 countries for the highest physical inactivity levels for adolescents – a shocking statistic.
“With rates of obesity increasing year-on-year coupled with a health system that is already bursting at the seam, the Federal Government needs to invest in, and allocate funding, to a greater scope of preventative health initiatives, programs and activities.”
The Fit for Office challenge is 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 for Physical Activity of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (or at least 75 minutes of moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity) per week.
Modelled on similar successful campaigns in the US and UK, the initiative, the pollies’ results recorded in real time via a unique measurement called ‘Myzone Effort Points’ (MEPs) that uses heart rate data to quantify physical activity based on each person’s effort.
The initiative is in support of the WHO’s Global Action Plan for Physical Activity that the previous government signed up to through this campaign in 2018, to encourage 15% more Australians to be more active by 2030.
Data shows:
Australia ranks 140 out of 146 OECD countries for physical activity for adolescents
67% of Australian adults are obese or overweight
72% of people with a disability aged over 15 are also not doing enough physical activity
Exercise is 1.5 times more effective than pharmaceuticals or counselling in treating anxiety and depression
We spend $450 each year for every man, woman and child in Australia treating mental health problems
Investing in effective preventative health has a four to six times return in savings for every dollar spent
Physical activity can be done at no cost, has no side-effects and data shows even doing a low amount cuts the risk of early death
