Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to also speak in support of the motion on eating disorders moved by the member for Chisholm. The member for Chisholm has been highly active in raising awareness of poor body image and eating disorders.  I commend her on putting forth this motion that calls not just for greater awareness but, importantly, for action to address these devastating illnesses.

I make it clear at the outset that eating disorders are not just about a quest to be thin; they are psychological illnesses with devastating physical consequences. One in 20 Australian women admits to having suffered from an eating disorder, and anorexia is the third most prevalent chronic illness in adolescent girls. It is devastating to look at this nation’s high schools, where very few of the students would not know a schoolmate or fellow student who is suffering from one of these illnesses.

There is an unbelievable pressure in particular on women in our society to be very thin. I do not think that we can stereotype the sort of people who are suffering from these disorders. Just recently, I had a conversation with a friend of mine, who is a highly educated, successful and intelligent woman. I was shocked when she told me that she wished that she could be anorexic but she just did not have the discipline for it. What sort of society are we encouraging when we actually have people seriously wishing that they had psychological illnesses? Eating disorders have been sidelined for far too long. It is long past the time when we must shine the spotlight on them.

As Dr Vivienne Lewis of the University of Canberra has long suggested, early intervention is the key to overcoming body image disturbances and resultant mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. The federal government has an important role to play here. A growing number of young Australians are developing eating disorders, and this is a trend that none of us should allow to continue.

While researching this issue, I came across some rather frightening websites, some based in Australia but most based in the US, although easily accessible by young people in Australia. I will not delve into the disturbing images these pro-ana sites—pro-anorexia sites—conveyed, but their messages are universally horrific: from starving during pregnancy to egging each other on in the race to be skeleton thin. This is an issue that the member for Chisholm has been working on for quite a while.

I know many Australian web servers have been active in removing these pro-ana sites. However, those that remain are sending horrific messages that bones equal beauty, that people do not need food and, as one site quotes, ‘Nothing can’t be fixed with hunger and weight loss.’ As well as demonstrating the need of many anorexia sufferers to communicate with someone who understands what they are going through, these sites also show just how dangerous eating disorders can be. With better programs aimed at early prevention and treatment of eating disorders, hopefully Australian women and men can find comfort and communication with people there to help, not hinder, their condition.

This is a problem that requires action from those right across our society—for example, Cosmopolitan magazine has been very proactive in tackling the issue of poor body image. Individual models, designers and photographers have begun to take this issue very seriously and realise the role that fashion and the beauty industry have to play in influencing body image. I for one do not come from the school of thought that we address this issue by allocating blame alone. Some people like to point the finger at the media, the beauty industry or our magazines; I believe that we must all come together and work together on this issue. I argue that the government should convene a national summit on body image to develop a national code of conduct to ensure the media, the fashion industry and advertisers portray a healthy and diverse range of men and women and ensure that it has effective awareness and action campaigns in place.

On an international scale—and this, sadly, is a global issue—Australia should become a signatory to the Worldwide Charter for Action on Eating Disorders, which calls on those responsible for policy to educate and inform the community about the dangers of eating disorders. With rapid improvements in communications and technology, we are in a better position than ever to utilise these resources, such as the internet, to educate and inform individuals about the issue.

Combating eating disorders in Australia will require united efforts abroad. The charter provides people with eating disorders, their families and their loved ones with a list of their basic rights and reasonable expectations regarding eating disorder treatments and services. I believe that if the government wants to send a message to Australia’s young people that healthy is beautiful and that this parliament takes the issue of poor body image and eating disorders seriously then we must become a signatory to this charter. I urge the government to act on this motion. We should do everything in our power to stop the suffering. (Time expired)

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