Establish a Prime Minister’s Council for Active Living and develop and implement a National Framework for Active Living, encompassing local government, urban planning, building industry, developers and designers, health, transport, sport and active recreation
Develop a business case for a new COAG National Partnership Agreement on Active Living
Conduct research into economic barriers and enablers, policies and tax incentives to inform a national active living framework and actions
Australian and state governments to consider the introduction of health impact assessments in all policy development (for example, urban planning, school education, transport), using partnership models such as the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach in South Australia

2. Drive change within the food supply to increase the availability and demand for healthier food products, and decrease the availability and demand for unhealthy food products

Develop and implement a comprehensive National Food and Nutrition Framework
Commission a review of economic policies and taxation systems, and develop methods for using taxation, grants, pricing, incentives and/or subsidies to promote production, access to and consumption of healthier foods
Establish a Healthy Food Compact between governments, industry and non-government organisations to drive change within the food supply; develop voluntary targets
Work with industry, health and consumer groups to introduce food labelling on front of pack and menus to support healthier food choices, with easy to understand information on energy, sugar, fat, saturated fats, salt and trans fats, and a standard serve/portion size within three years.

3. Embed physical activity and healthy eating in everyday life

Workplaces

Fund, implement and promote comprehensive workplace programs building on the COAG Healthy Workers initiative:

Develop a national accord to establish best practice workplace programs, including: protecting the privacy of employees, workplace risk monitoring, risk assessment or risk modification programs
Establish a voluntary industry scorecard, benchmarking and award scheme for workplace health
Establish nationally agreed accreditation standards for providers of workplace health programs
Establish a national action research project to strengthen the evidence of effective workplace health promotion programs in the Australian context
Establish a national workplace health leadership program and a series of resources, tools and best practice guidelines
Commission a review of potential legislative changes to promote the take-up of workplace health programs, including options such as:
- Changes to Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act and Income Assessment Act to provide incentives
- Employer commitment to a percentage of annual payroll allocated to workplace health programs (similar to the former Training Guarantee Levy)
Investigate the feasibility of rewarding employers – through grants or tax incentives – for achieving and sustaining benchmark risk factor profiles in their workforce

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Schools

Fund, implement and promote school programs to increase physical activity and healthy eating:

Establish a partnership with the education sector
Incorporate Health and Physical Education (HPE) for all Australian children into the second stage of National Curriculum development
Australian and state governments to establish a national program to support implementation of the new curriculum, including teacher curriculum guidance and professional development opportunities
Education sector to encourage all schools to develop, implement and evaluate health, nutrition and physical activity policies
Establish system to monitor the policy requirement of at least two hours of physical activity per week for all students K–10
Expand the coverage of out-of-school-care health programs such as Active After School and Eat Smart, Play Smart
Education sector to examine how to build the capacity of schools and teachers to promote health and resilience more effectively

Communities

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)
Establish partnerships with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) to develop programs that support and encourage local councils to adopt Healthy Spaces and Places planning guidelines
Develop, pilot and implement a new Healthy and Active Families initiative as an additional intervention to the activities proposed for Healthy Communities sites; begin with the intensive intervention sites and roll out successful program elements as results become available
Develop strategies to mobilise and engage local communities including, through the NPA, the development and delivery of a national healthy community leadership and education program

4. Encourage people to improve their levels of physical activity and healthy eating through comprehensive and effective social marketing

Develop and work with Australian, state and territory governments to implement a comprehensive, sustained social marketing strategy to increase healthy eating, physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour, building on Measure Up and state campaigns such as Go for 2&5, Find Thirty and Go for Your Life.
Choose messages most likely to reduce prevalence in socially disadvantaged groups and provide extra reach to these groups

5. Reduce exposure of children and others to marketing, advertising, promotion and sponsorship of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and beverages
Phase out the marketing of energy-dense nutrient-poor (EDNP) food and beverage products on free-to-air and Pay TV before 9pm, and phase out premium offers, toys, competitions and the use of promotional characters, including celebrities and cartoon characters, used to market EDNP food and beverages to children within four years by:

Development and adoption of an appropriate set of definitions and criteria for determining EDNP food and beverages
Monitoring and evaluating the impact of voluntary self-regulation in reducing children’s exposure to unhealthy food advertising
Identifying any shortfalls with the current voluntary approach, and addressing this through the introduction of a co-regulatory agreement; monitor, evaluate and report on the effectiveness of co-regulation
Introducing legislation within four years if these measures are not demonstrated to be effective

6. Strengthen, skill and support primary healthcare and public health workforce to support people in making healthy choices

Expand the relevant allied health workforce
Improve access to services that provide physical activity, weight loss and healthy nutritional advice and support
Fund and implement evidence-based clinical guidelines for health and community workers

7. Address maternal and child health, enhancing early life and growth patterns

Establish and implement a national program to alert and support pregnant women and those planning pregnancy to prevent lifestyle risks of excessive weight, poor nutrition, smoking and alcohol consumption

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8. Support low-income communities to improve their levels of physical activity and healthy eating

Fund, implement and promote multi-component community-based programs in low SES communities
Fund, implement and promote effective and relevant strategies and programs to address specific issues experienced by people in low-income communities
Specific actions are also referred to in key action areas 3 and 4

9. Reduce obesity prevalence and burden among Indigenous Australians

Fund, implement and promote multi-component community-based programs in Indigenous communities
Strengthen antenatal, maternal and child health systems for Indigenous communities

10. Build the evidence base, monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of actions

Implement the expanded National Risk Factor Survey funded under the COAG National Partnership Agreement and ensure that this:
- Becomes a permanent national periodic collection
- Ensures coverage of adults and the Indigenous population
- Forms part of a comprehensive national surveillance system focused on the behavioural, environmental and biomedical risk factors for chronic disease, including capacity to track changes in health inequalities
Ensure the National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey is repeated on a regular basis to allow for the ongoing collection of national data on children
NPA to work with national research agencies to establish a National Research Agenda for obesity
Support ongoing research on effective strategies to address social determinants of obesity in Indigenous communities

Second phase (2014–2017)

Implement the National Framework for Active Living, encompassing local government, urban planning, building industry, developers and designers, health, transport, sport and active recreation
Use the Healthy Food Compact to continue to drive improvements within the food supply
Implement measures agreed to under the Healthy Food Compact

Schools

National implementation of the HPE curriculum for all Australian children as part of the second stage of National Curriculum development
Monitor the policy requirement of at least two hours of physical activity per week for all students K–10

Workplaces

Learn from best practice and promote effective workplace health promotion programs throughout Australia
Implement recommendations of the review of potential legislative changes to promote the take-up of workplace health programs
If feasible, implement a system to reward employers for achieving and sustaining benchmark risk factor profiles in their workforce
Implement Healthy Spaces and Places planning guidelines through partnership with ALGA
Implement new phases of comprehensive, sustained social marketing strategy to increase healthy eating and physical activity
Continue to phase out food and beverage marketing to which children are exposed if self-regulation and co-regulation are demonstrated to be ineffective

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Third phase (2018–2020)

Monitor and report on progress with the implementation of the National Framework for Active Living
Monitor and report on progress with the implementation of measures agreed to under the Healthy Food Compact
Scale up school and workplace programs
Scale up community interventions across Australia according to results of national trials
Report on progress with the social marketing strategy to increase healthy eating and physical activity, and develop new phases as required

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