A report titled "The costs of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug abuse to Australian society in 2004/05" by David J. Collins and Helen M. Lapsley estimated the cost of smoking and recreational drugs to be $56.1 billion in 2004-05.

• $24.7 billion in tangible costs, which include out-of-pocket expenses, forgone wages or productivity and hospital and childcare protection costs.

• $11.6 billion in intangible costs, which includes lost quality of life from someone else's drinking.

Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases from Obesity, smoking tobacco, and excessive consumption of alcohol very likely now cost the Australian economy in excess of $110 billion annually as the above two reports reviewed data in '04/'05 and did not extrapolate its findings to Australia's larger population of over 22 million in 2010.

2010 Zurich-National Heart Foundation Heart Health Index released 19 Oct '10 reports that Overweight and Obese Australians have admitted "they are too lazy, don t have the time, or are hampered by an existing condition or illness to make significant changes in their lifestyle to become healthy......... Many are in denial.  One in eight (13 per cent) Overweight Australians believe they are healthy and do not need to change....Close to half the people (46%) who are Overweight thought that their weight met health guidelines. 13% of people who are Obese thought that their weight met current guidelines." The 2010 Zurich-National Heart Foundation Heart Health Index - i)          measures awareness, knowledge, perceptions and behaviours relating to cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors; ii)         refutes the logic of Fed Dept of Ageing allocating another $41 million, and the states and territories providing another $18 million for local level complementary  activities, to continue the highly questionable Measure Up campaign, which was supposed "to raise awareness of the risks associated with waist circumference." which can lead to Chronic Diseases; and   iii)        seriously questions "Australian Better Health Initiative Phase I - Campaign Evaluation - Quantitative Research Report" which GfK Bluemoon prepared for Depart of Health and Ageing which 'inter alia' reported that ".......The (Measure Up) campaign has been successful at encouraging people to try to reduce their waist measurement or lose weight."; and  iv)         flies in the face of the Health and Ageing funded GfK Bluemoon Campaign Evaluation - Quantitative Research Report which would have influenced Depart of Health and Ageing to allocate a further $41m, and induce states and territories to provide another $18 million, on nothing more than costly TV and bus-stop billboards, seemingly in Phase II to focus on "How" to lose weight.  It doesn't seem cost-effective expenditure of $59 million in light of the National Heart Foundation's alarming findings.

3.        Taskforce's interim Discussion Paper overtly invited public contributions:

In Oct 2008 the Taskforce released a Discussion Paper which -

I.         asserted "there is an urgent and immediate need to address the growing prevalence of obesity and overweight in Australia."; and

II.        proposed adopting a 'learning by doing' approach.

The Minister for Health and Ageing's 'Forward' noted inter alia:

"Do you have alternative or better ideas, and if so what are they?  All parts of the community have a role to play, be they individuals and families, communities and industry, and of course federal, state and territory governments. No one sector alone can deal with the prevention agenda – we must act in concert and take responsibility for actions within each of our domains. So your views will be vital to the next stage of development of a truly national prevention strategy. I encourage you to provide input at this important time."

Section 7 "Towards a National Preventive Health Strategy – your views" of the Discussion Paper subtitled "The Preventive Health Taskforce invites your input to the next stage of development of a National Preventive Health Strategy" noted:

"This discussion paper provides the first step in the development of the Strategy.  We have proposed targets for three key areas of prevention - obesity, tobacco and alcohol, together with priorities and recommended policies and programs. We have also identified the support structures and measurements needed to ensure that the key priorities are met and that there is proper monitoring and evaluation.

A series of questions have been put forward in this paper. The Taskforce is keen to hear your responses and to have your input as we work towards developing the Strategy.

Throughout the paper, an emphasis is placed on working together. We invite all - individuals, community groups, government and non-government organisations and industry groups - to participate by making a submission on how we can make Australia the healthiest nation by 2020. We suggest you take the questions in this paper as a starting point, although we welcome your views on other issues."

4.        Philip Johnston accepted the above invitations from Minister for Health & Ageing and Chairperson of Taskforce to submit his "views" which the Minister asserted was ".....vital to the next stage of development of a truly national prevention strategy":

Retired infrastructure banker, Philip Johnston has participated all his adult life in rigorous sports including baseball, cricket, cycling, annual ocean swims, kayaking and hiking (also completed two National IronMan Triathlons), with like-minded local 'exercise junkies' and experienced, first hand, the enormous value of Local Community Common Bond Support Groups.  Prior to retiring in 2007, he administered syndicates of debt providing bankers' financial interests in several major infrastructure projects from the late '80s to 2006 for Commonwealth Bank, working on major projects which started with a detailed document known as an Information Memorandum and often ended say 5 years later with the construction of a major new piece of Greenfield infrastructure ie. Sydney Harbour Tunnel, or the major overhaul of existing Brownfield infrastructure ie. Long Bay Goal.  Bankers try to only lend to infrastructure projects that are going to achieve a positive return.  Hence, they require massive detailed analysis incl financial modelling prior to committing hundreds of millions of dollars to new infrastructure projects.  Cross City Tunnel, Lane Cove Tunnel and Asia Pacific Rail Transport are three Greenfield projects where bankers got it wrong by grossly over estimating forecast patronage in their base case financial models.

Phil Johnston has attracted an average of 10 cyclists to +100km hilly bike rides around the perimeter of Sydney each fine weather Sunday since 1996 in a local Bicycle User Group, Muggaccinos.com, and evidenced several hundred fellow cyclists draw back on the skills they learnt during their Youthful Exuberance Growth Phase, from 3 to around 11 years of age, in order to Materially Alter Lifestyle because Recreational Exercise Activity is Fun and Addictive.  He knows many other organisers of local rigorous recreational exercise groups, whom he has discussed Risk Management with to mitigate sporting accidents.

In July 2008 Mr. Johnston posted his initial three business plans on a CD ROM to members of the National Preventive Health Taskforce.  These were set out in an Information Memorandum format deployed by investment bankers keen to attract debt providers for a prospective Brownfield infrastructure project. 

Mr. Johnston views Australia's 22 million population as Human Brownfield Infrastructure and, under his YELP  First Business Plan, by injecting Capex to enable Recreational Exercise Consultants to assist Interested Adults to commence one of 15 Recreational Exercise Activities, relying on Existing Human Resources using Existing Recreational & Competitive Exercise Infrastructure, he contends will achieve a tenfold return on Capex expended within five years in treating the Taskforce's  Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases which will Improve Personal Health And Fitness, achieve Positive Lifestyle Changes, enhance QOL, thereby Compressing Morbidity, Increasing Productivity, Extending Labour Force Participation generating Increased Tax Contributions, increased GDP and reduced Health Care Costs.

He included Climate Change as one of the Fifteen Problems that he quantified which he attributes Negligent Lifestyle to be an ostensible Cause; citing the InterGovernmental Panel on Climate Change pronouncement of May 2007 that a "shift in lifestyles" is required to mitigate climate change.   

In Oslo on 10 Dec 07, IPCC and Albert (Al) Gore Jr. were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change". 

5.      Substitute RECs in place of GPs to perform the Final Three Stages  -  using the skills of 20 seasoned volunteer "Go To" sports administrators to enable Interested Adults to commence a Recreational Exercise Activity in a Local District Recreational Exercise Group

Mr Johnston's First Business Plan titled Youthful Exuberance Lifestyle Programme ("YELP") is highly comprehensive with over 300 Defined Terms to ensure certainty, an Executive Summary and a SWOT Analysis.  It seeks to modify a former Preventive Health programme under Dept of Health & Ageing's "Lifescripts" called the Five Basic Stages of Change which had sought GPs to assist patients suffering one or more Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases due to living a Negligent Lifestyle to progress through five distinct stages of behavioural change:

He seeks to substitute lower cost Recreational Exercise Consultants who possess Eleven Sports Administration Attributes and fall within the Labour Government's 2020 Golden Gurus initiative, to perform the below Final Three Stages which he contends that higher cost GPs were rarely equipped to administer. 

      3.    Decide and prepare to make a change (determination/preparation

      4.    Implement genuine, determined action (action)

      5.    Maintain the new behaviour over the long term (maintenance).  

In June 2007 "A new approach to primary care for Australia" by Jennifer Doggett from the Centre For Policy Development , noted that "There are few resources available for GPs and other primary care providers to work proactively to prevent the development of obesity in their community in the first place." 

A YELP Website would draw on the mammoth 'information delivery' of the internet - not presently open to GPs on a one-on-one patient basis.  A YELP Website would provide all pertinent information for each of the Recreational Exercise Activity contact details of organisers, links to bush walks and cycling maps etc, e-learning tutorials that Interested Adults would have to complete to mitigate trauma accidents.

A Recreational Exercise Consultant is a "go to person" who knows everything and everyone associated with their particular sporting passion, albeit in varying degrees with some stronger in motivation, others stronger in technical knowledge, but all having assisted at least 100 fellow adults to re-ignite the skills they acquired during their Youthful Exuberance Growth Phase to the joys of regular rigorous recreational exercise.  Attributes of RECs include Talk The Walk Motivational Skills, Liability Risk Management Acumen and a manifest Sense Of Community that approx 2% of Australians, aged between 50 and 60 years, possess.  YELP accords with the Australian Government's Golden Gurus mentoring programme. 

RECs would Perform Nine Duties & Obligations Of Supervision to Supervise  Interested Adults who want to commence a Recreational Exercise Activity.  For the 21½ Months Tenure Of Pilot, 20 RECs would be drawn from amongst the organisers of local bicycle clubs/groups, bushwalking clubs, triathlon clubs, kayaking groups, surf clubs etc ( +900 LDREGs for NSW) who have provided their services, generally gratis, for many years, and who hold the respect of many like minded local citizens that they have assisted to transition into one or more of these sports. 

His First Business Plan, with the acronym YELP, contends that enabling Recreational Exercise Consultants to Supervise  Interested Adults to commence one of an initial 9 Rigorous Recreational Exercise Activities or to Refer other Interested Adults to one of 6 Moderate Recreational Exercise Activities, under a 10 Months Tenure Of Primary Research Programme, within an existing Local District Recreational Exercise Group, will achieve a Forecast Return On YELP Capex at least tenfold over and above the YELP  SPV's  Capex within 5 years, as calculated by applying the Return On YELP Capex Formula using Return On YELP Capex Software.  A vital feature is that each Local District Recreational Exercise Group incorporates within its Local Community Common Bond Support Group  Community Support Providers who contributes towards a Social Theme because the mental health benefits from being part of a vibrant Local Community Common Bond Support Group are perhaps greater than the physical health benefits. 

His Return On YELP Capex Formula shows that based on the YELP Budget of $19.4m for 4.9 years to end June 2016, the (net) Forecast Return On YELP Capex will reduce Adverse Costs by more than $212 million dollars within 5 years.  The YELP Budget would be funded 50% by 12 major Australian companies with Project Development Expertise keen to display Corporate Philanthropy and enhance their Brand Name by working directly with government under a PPP to treat Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases.  (Public Private Partnerships were Point 6 of the Taskforce's  Terms of Reference). 

YELP  Captures Complimentary Synergies of Four Public Sector Equity Holders and Harness Private Sector Infrastructure & PPP Skills of 12 Private Sector Equity Holders by drawing on the project and infrastructure skills 24 Golden Gurus from 12 major Australian companies which would fund 50% of YELP Budget Costs and work with 8 other Golden Gurus drawn 2 from each of Four Public Sector Equity Holders.  32 Golden Gurus would possess Five Pioneer FOF Qualities and administer the YELP  SPV in accordance with the Community Organising Model For Social And Economic Change for the Two Purposes Of YELP as set out in the First Business Plan. 

The Primary Purpose Of The YELP  SPV is to reduces the >$155b Negligent Lifestyle Annual Costs of Fifteen Problems, which include the Taskforce's Three Public Health Risks, by initially utilising Twelve Low Cost Propagation Initiatives and Encouraging An Optimum, Uniform Delivery Model to assist Interested Adults to Improve Personal Health & Fitness to Materially Alter Lifestyle in the Prototype  Phase, across hundreds of existing and new LDREGs, utilising Existing Recreational & Competitive Exercise Infrastructure and Existing Human Resources.

YELP draws on Twelve Low Cost Propagation Initiatives one of which is utilising the information delivery capability of the internet.  Another initiative is drawing on the Motivational Incentive of RTV as evidenced on The Biggest Loser and adopts a No Costly Media Advertising Policy in order to achieve a Forecast Return On YELP Capex at least tenfold.  He cites the American produced RTV Marathon Challenge and the British produced Beyond Boundaries as successful precedents to YELP.

Unlike so many other Preventive Health programs which rely on Primary Care providers charging market labour rates, YELP’s  Pilot draws on Existing Human Resources, namely Eleven Sports Administration Attributes of 20 seasoned volunteer sports administrators known as Recreational Exercise Consultants (“RECs”) and relies on Existing Recreational & Competitive Exercise Infrastructure, namely the network of bush walking clubs, bicycle groups, kayaking groups, triathlon clubs, surf clubs annual ocean swims etc, and the enthusiasm of those groups to welcome new members. 

The YELP  First Business Plan proposes that the 20 RECs be renumerated based on interested adults that they successfully Supervise at hourly rates materially less than comparable primary care providers, with scope for RECs to donate up to 50% of their remuneration to a trust fund to assist disabled interested adults.  YELP incorporates a structure which facilitates philanthropy from fit, successful business executives approaching retirement who have confidence in YELP’s business plan because they assisted set it up.

A YELP 20 months Pilot could launch on 13 Aug 2011 to achieve by 2016,  400,000 fitter, stronger Australians better able to work (from 2023) to a 67 pension age, thereby setting a platform for even the most sceptical obese Australians to contact a REC, as set out in Propagation Forecasts, Milestone Timetable and YELP Budget.

6.        Philip Johnston wrote to all pertinent government agencies:

He initially wrote to Warwick Anderson, CEO, NHMRC, on 12 Nov 2007 contending that GPs could not perform the Final Three Stages of Dept of Health & Ageing's Lifescripts  Five Basic Stages of Change, but that Recreational Exercise Consultants could.  A few months later, Dept of Health & Ageing removed from its website reference to GPs administering the Five Basic Stages of Change to treat patients suffering Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases.    Professor Anderson's response dated 13th Dec 2007 suggested that he approach NSW Health and finished with "I trust this information is helpful and I wish you well in your endeavours."                                      

One of the members of the Taskforce, Shaun Larkin, e-mailed Philip on 31 July 2008, "Input and content such as you have provided is very much appreciated by me in my role as a member of the National Preventive Health Taskforce.   I suggest you forward a copy of the information provided to Peter Morris at the Department of Health and Ageing."

The Chair of the National Preventive Health Taskforce, Dr. Rob Moodie, wrote to him on 2 April 2009 acknowledging receipt of his continued research CD ROMs and concluded "Best wishes for the continued development of the programme". 

Peter Morris, Dept of Health & Ageing, letter to Phil Johnston dated 2 July 2009 included "the Government will consider on merit any recommendations the Taskforce may make concerning support for community programs in physical activity." .

Utilising the skills he had acquired over a 37 career in banking, Mr. Johnston R&D'd voluntarily for over two years preparing Two National Preventive Health Research Programmes and posted updates on CDs to Peter Morris at the Depart of Health and Ageing, as well as the Taskforce.

APPENDIX 4: Submissions to the Preventive Health Taskforce of the Taskforce's Final Report dated 30 June 2009 to the  Minister for Health & Ageing lists:

367	YELP Program Concept

Immediately under the above listing appeared in the Taskforce's Final Report:

"A number of organisations provided multiple submissions, bringing the total number of submissions (as distinct for organisations) to 397.

These submissions can be found on the Preventive Health Taskforce website at www.Preventivehealth.org.au.  Some submissions have not been published on the website at the request of the author(s)."

Submissions in the National Preventive Health website provides the submissions of 375 interested parties as at 9 August 2009 but makes no mention of Youthful Exuberance Lifestyle Programme even though Philip Johnston did not request anyone not to publish a link to Youthful Exuberance Lifestyle Programme on the Preventive Health Taskforce - Submissions webpage or not to publish a file(s) that explains YELP such as the definition of Youthful Exuberance Lifestyle Programme, First Business Plan or the Executive Summary.  

His submissions provide for him to be paid a $1 Peppercorn Fee for his 2½ years of R&D to produce his Two National Preventive Health Research Programmes which 60 Private Sector Equity Holders would fund 50% of Equity Contributions.  Hence, he has no interest in the associated  I.P. to reduce the >$155 billion Negligent Lifestyle Annual Costs of Fifteen Problems which bring on Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases.

Highlighted in Yellow above, -

i)          Section 7 of the Taskforce's Interim Report invited members of the public to contribute their thoughts;

ii)         the Chairperson, Dr Rob Moodie, and another member, Shaun Larkin of HCF, wrote to Mr. Johnston encouraging him to continue his R&D; and

iii)        Peter Morris, Dept of Health & Ageing, letter to Phil Johnston dated 2 July 2009 included "the Government will consider on merit any recommendations the Taskforce may make concerning support for community programs in physical activity." .

Following initially receiving written encouragement from two of the seven Taskforce members, and mindful that the Taskforce’s Deputy Chair recently asserted “What we have done about obesity is not working”, the writer welcomes receiving the Taskforce’s thoughts on his two years R&D to document Youthful Exuberance Lifestyle Programme.

7.        The Taskforce has -

         *         abrogated its Terms of Reference; and

         *         reneged undertakings in its interim Discussion Paper

            Three questions:

       

 

Q1.  How can the Chairperson of the Taskforce in his Final Report to the Minister then describe the below submission as a "YELP Program Concept"?

 

 

 

 

2½ years R&D, consisting of thousands of words, timelines, budgets and financial modeling, to prepare Two National Preventive Health Research Programmes comprising Eight Business Plans, each with its own dedicated Defined Terms offering industry accepted Benchmarking Techniques to facilitate ranking integrity, robustness, viability and utility, which was supported in writing by 2 Taskforce members

 

 

Q2.  Why would the two members of the Taskforce, Messrs Moodie and Larkin, who encouraged Mr. Johnston to carry on with his R&D refuse to answer his correspondence seeking to discuss why, pursuant to (B) below, the Taskforce did not recommend YELP in its Final Report to the Minister in June 2009? 

Q3.  How can the Preventive Health Taskforce's  Final Report -

        *       abrogate their Terms of Reference  announced by the Minister on 8 April '08 to -

                 +      "to inform what works and what doesn’t";

                 +      ".......provide advice for policy makers on what strategies work best at a population level, and on the best buys for government investment in Primary Prevention";

                 +      "support the development of inter governmental and public-private partnerships on Preventive health"; and

        *        renege undertakings made in its interim Discussion Paper which -

                 (A)        asserted "...there is an urgent and immediate need to address the growing prevalence of obesity and overweight in Australia"; and

                 (B)        cited that a recent US study Prevention for a Healthier America estimated for every US$1 invested in "proven community-based disease prevention programs" (ie. increasing physical activity, maintaining a Healthy Diet and reducing smoking levels), the return on investment over and above the $1 per head cost of the program would be US$5.60 within five years - referred to in Forecasts a Return On YELP Capex - one would think that the Taskforce would be busting a boiler to invest in similar "....community-based disease prevention programs" tailored for Australian communities off the US study Prevention for a Healthier America, and

                 be bereft of any new, scratch 'n feel ".......community-based disease prevention programs tailored to suit Australian communities"?

Alas, many Australians seek governments to reduce the enormous cost of Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases, and Other Personal, Social, Productivity and Environmental Costs, by implementing Healthy Exercise Lifestyle Programmes for local communities that are fun and addictive, where risk management is a focus.  Yet, notwithstanding (B) above, the Taskforce has not announced any Community Driven Healthy Exercise Lifestyle Programmes during its 2½ years existence.

The Taskforce's Final Report acknowledges under Future funding models for prevention   "....the potential development of a funding framework for prevention, both within and external to the health sector, to guide the development and use of a number of funding models."  Mr. Johnston's subsequent letters (logged in Schedule of Correspondence) seeking to discuss with Dr Moodie Attracting Private Sector Funding, which would also benefit from Complimentary Employee Enthusiasm to address Future funding models for prevention, have not been responded to. 

 

Notwithstanding earlier written support from two members of the Taskforce, Messrs Moodie and Larkin, Philip Johnston has exhausted all avenues within the Australian government to obtain a meeting with Dr. Rob Moodie.  Schedule of Correspondence contains a litany of letters on CD ROMs to government, including not receiving responses to letters to the -

i)           Minister for Health & Ageing asking for a meeting with the Chairperson of the Taskforce; and

ii)          the then Prime Minister requesting his Department to appraise separate SWOT Analysis (prepared by Taskforce) for each of the then Seven Business Plans in the  Two National Preventive Health Research Programmes. 

Re Q3.(B) above, how can the Taskforce's interim Discussion Paper -

(i)         cite that a recent US study estimated for every US$1 invested in "proven community-based disease prevention programs", the return on investment over and above the $1 per head cost of the program would be US$5.60 within five years; and

(ii)        then fail to recommend in its Final Report dated 30 June 2009 to the Minister for Health & Ageing any "community-based disease prevention programs" that are tailored to adults who would like assistance from seasoned sports administrators to commence a REA at a LDREG?

Q4.       In view of the Minister for Health and Ageing's 'Forward' which included All parts of the community have a role to play, be they individuals and families, communities and industry, and of course federal, state and territory governments, and Point 6 of the Taskforce's  Terms of Reference, why is the Taskforce reluctant to draw on the project skills of Golden Gurus approaching retirement in 12 major Australian companies and utilise 20 other Golden Gurus as Recreational Exercise Consultants to Supervise  Interested Adults to commence one of an initial 8 Rigorous Recreational Exercise Activities or 6 Moderate Recreational Exercise Activities?   

8.        Consistent with the Preventive Health Taskforce's mantra, "Prevention a great investment", does this Taskforce possess the skillset to evaluate a Community Driven Healthy Exercise Lifestyle Programme which will Materially Alter Lifestyle Behaviour and achieve a tenfold return on Capex expended within 5 years?

In April 2010 (2 years after the Taskforce commenced), the Taskforce's deputy chairman, Mike Daube, announced that Obesity had overtaken smoking as the leading cause of premature death and illness in Australia .  Medical experts are claiming that the Federal Government is woefully unprepared for a tsunami of weight-related health problems.  "The obesity crisis is not on its way - it is already here," Professor Daube said. "What we have done about obesity is not working. This issue needs concentrated and determined action."

Western television can make reality television of grossly Obese adults, who accept a challenge to lose significant body weight, into prime-time viewing because of the fervour and commitment the participants display to lose weight and change their Lifestyle Behaviour because they know their plight will be shown on TV.  The first of YELP's  Twelve Low Cost Propagation Initiatives is "exploiting the Motivational Incentive of RTV", drawing upon the two successful precedents of -

•    PBS produced RTV Marathon Challenge; and

•    British produced Beyond Boundaries.  

Notwithstanding the substantive resources Federal Health has at its disposal, and the quoted "...quite spectacular long-term returns on investment and cost savings through the Preventive action of....", after 2½ years the Taskforce has not recommended commencing any new "community-based disease prevention program", even though its Discussion Paper  -

(i)         acknowledged the enormous cost savings of such programs; and

(ii)        asserted "there is an urgent and immediate need to address the growing prevalence of obesity and overweight in Australia." and adopting a 'learning by doing' approach.

Were the Taskforce's  Terms of Reference to arrest Obesity, smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol too narrow?  Certainly Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, throat and lung cancer, and liver cancer, caused by the Three Public Health Risks are medical conditions.   However, prima facie Obesity, smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol are a function of Lifestyle Behaviour?  Has the Australian Government picked experts with too narrow a skillset to practically assist interested Australians to Materially Alter Lifestyle Behaviour?  Should the Taskforce have also comprised Senior Business Executives with a track record of completing major projects, whose Lifestyle Behaviour includes Rigorous Recreational Exercise Activities.  These are Senior Business Executives whose lifestyle includes one or more of Hiking, Cycling, Kayaking, Ocean Swimming Triathlon and thrive on the Challenges available from Rigorous Recreational Exercise Activities, not because some Federal Health funded advertising campaign warns of the perils of getting fat, but because they regard Challenging  Recreational Exercise Activities as Fun and Addictive  

If we do not want Overweight/Obese Australians, shouldn't we be drawing on the mentoring skills, experience and energy of some of the one in 500 Australians, aged between 50 and 60 - 5,100 approx - who over many years have successfully influenced lots of other Australians to the merits of their particular rigorous outdoor exercise activity within a Local Community Common Bond Support Group.  These are Australians who for many years have acted in voluntary sports administration roles for their chosen sport and possess explicit Sports Administration Attributes which include Walk The Talk Motivational Skills, Liability Risk Management Acumen and display a manifest Sense Of Community.  Drawing on some of these 5,100 or so healthy, fit Australians with 'health runs on the board', who would be approaching retirement, if not recently retired, would seem a fillip for Labor's Australia 2020 Summit selection of utilising Golden Gurus in mentoring roles which, to date, hasn't had much impact.

The closest the Taskforce's Final Report has come is to "Establish, as part of the COAG Healthy Communities initiative, a national series of comprehensive five-year intervention trials in 10 to 12 communities (including low SES and Indigenous communities)".  But it did not provided a specification of what the interventions would be, the number of participants in each of 10 to 12 communities, budget costs or forecast benefits.

GPs have long been the front line treater of Obesity and related Diabetes.  In April '10, the Federal Government announced that under a new optional “managed care” treatment package for diabetic patients, GPs who keep diabetic patients out of hospital may charge Medicare a $950 annual package fee, regardless of whether the treatment was related to their diabetes, or another problem such as a fever or broken leg.  A further $250 for allied health workers such as physiotherapists and dieticians, would be paid to those bodies.  In return for signing up to “personalised managed care plans,” patients suffering from Diabetes will forego their access to Medicare rebates for their Diabetes. 

Dr Chris Mitchell, president of the Royal College of GPs, told the media that GP clinics would have a “perverse” incentive to “minimise care” for patients.  "Practices would also have an incentive to sign on patients whose diabetes was well controlled and would need less care, while turning away others with advanced kidney disease or other complications."

Is the Federal government ignoring the obvious (ie. its own Golden Gurus programme), by continuing to seek medicos to be the forefront of improving Lifestyle Behaviour when patently over 95% of GPs cannot?  At least the Taskforce's deputy chairman, Mike Daube, considers they cannot and have not.  "What we have done about obesity is not working."

9.        Treatment of Obesity in the Australian Government's response document to the Taskforce's Final Report lacks the potency of the Taskforce's  Terms of Reference.   It's Deputy Chairman asserts "What we have done about obesity is not working" 

The Australian Government's response report "TAKING PREVENTATIVE ACTION - A response to Australia: the healthiest country by 2020 - THE REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PREVENTATIVE HEALTH TASKFORCE" released in May 2010 does not contain any tailored "community-based disease prevention programs" that its Taskforce's Discussion Paper supported at "Prevention – a great investment".  Does the Taskforce and Health & Ageing now consider that prevention is not a great investment?  If H&A does, where are the tailored "community-based disease prevention programs" that will provide a 560% return on investment within 5 years?