Response to public consultation of the National Obesity Preventive Strategy

The George Institute for Global Health is pleased to contribute to the public consultation of the National Obesity Preventive Strategy (NOPS).

The National Obesity Preventive Strategy (NOPS) will enable a more collaborative and comprehensive approach to addressing obesity nationally. It will also provide a way to identify actions and priorities for all levels of government as well as provide a focus for multi-sectoral partnerships and collaboration.

The George Institute for Global Health strongly supports the overall approach of the National Obesity Preventive Strategy (NOPS). The George Institute, however, believes there are several ways the NOPS could be improved to have greater impact on rates of overweight and obesity, and improve the health of Australians.

To ensure its objectives and ambitions are realised, the NOPS should be accompanied by:

• Strong targets that, at a minimum, align with the National Preventive Health Strategy (NPHS).
• A national governance committee to oversee implementation of the strategy, with representation from all governments, led by Health Ministers.
• A national implementation plan to be developed within six months of the strategy’s release and including:
  • agreed evidence-based actions for each strategy, with responsibility for each action assigned to federal, state, and territory governments or both, as appropriate.

• • a timeline for implementation and reporting, with the strategy’s 10-year timeframe divided into blocks at three, six, and nine years.
• A funding plan that identifies committed, ongoing, and adequate funding from all governments.
• A monitoring and evaluation framework, requiring regular reporting on implementation and outcomes from each jurisdiction and an independent evaluation of impact.
• A process free from conflicts of interest.         

The George Institute congratulates the Working Group on the development of the National Obesity Prevention Strategy. We look forward to reviewing the next iteration of the NOPS and participating in the development of its implementation. The Draft National Obesity Prevention Strategy 2022-2032 can be found here.