The benefits of movement should reach every Australian – from kindergarten to care homes.
Australia’s health system is in crisis – and we can’t treat our way out of it.
New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows record spending on preventable diseases driven by obesity, inactivity and poor diet.
We like to think of ourselves as an outdoorsy, sporty nation, but the reality doesn’t match the myth: around two-thirds of Australians are overweight or obese, and more than three-quarters are not moving enough to stay healthy.
That’s 78% of Australians sitting too much, moving too little – fuelling around 20% of disease and early death risk, clogging up our hospitals and costing the economy billions.
In 2023-24, chronic conditions accounted for $98 billion of Australia’s health spend. A staggering $38 billion of that was attributed to preventable risk factors.
Cancer spend has more than doubled in a decade, from $9.1 billion in 2013-14 to $19.7 billion last year.
Meanwhile, physical inactivity drains another $15 billion in lost productivity every year.
And yet, when people are active, the benefits are enormous: in 2018-19, physical activity and sport prevented $1.7 billion in disease spending, creating a net saving to the health system of $321 million.
So why are we still spending just 2% of Australia’s $147 billion health budget on prevention?
Hospitals must always be well funded, but the focus must shift upstream. We need to build a fence at the top of the cliff, not keep sending more ambulances to the bottom of it.
Imagine if we lifted prevention funding to even 10% of the budget – inspiring Australians to move more, eat better and live longer.
Without it, our overstretched health system will buckle under the weight of chronic disease.
The answer is prevention – and physical activity is the most powerful, proven intervention we have. Regular movement can halve the risk of type 2 diabetes and colon cancer, cut heart disease by up to 35%, and significantly reduce rates of depression and anxiety.
The return on investment is indisputable: for every dollar spent on prevention, the economy gets $14 back.
It doesn’t take elite athleticism – just simple, consistent habits. Take the stairs. Walk the dog. Do the gardening. Park a little further from the shops.
My favourite saying is, “You should be hungry and breathless every day.” I try to live by that with my kids; when we run together, it sets them up for better health and a stronger mindset – not just for the day, but for life.
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The benefits of movement should reach every Australian – from kindergarten to care homes.
This is why, in a rare show of bipartisanship, federal MPs have joined AUSactive’s Fit for Office challenge this month, trading political sparring for squats and steps until 30 November.
If they can make time to move between sittings, the rest of us can too – but leadership must extend beyond Parliament House lawns.
More than 35,000 qualified exercise professionals are ready to deliver prevention-first care alongside doctors and nurses. Integrating this workforce into the health system is proven to cut hospital admissions, reduce chronic disease and deliver billions in long-term savings.
A national “Movement Over Medicine” campaign would be a pragmatic start – a coordinated, evidence-based push to get Australians active at every age and stage of life.
We know national campaigns work. The Cancer Council’s Slip, Slop, Slap changed behaviour and helped drive melanoma rates down. Victoria’s Life, Be in it campaign in the 1970s got 35% of participants more active and inspired a national rollout.
It’s time for a modern reboot – one that links the fitness sector with the health system and lifts prevention funding from 2% to 10%.
Prevention isn’t just a feel-good slogan. It’s an economic imperative – and the only sustainable way forward for Australia’s health.
Ken Griffin is a nurse, a former CEO of the Australian Primary Healthcare Nurses Association, and current CEO of AUSactive.
