Labor’s soft drink ban for hospitals slammed by critics, nursing union

LABOR’S plan to ban sugary soft drinks in NSW hospitals has been branded “nanny state madness” from elitist “fuss buckets”.

Labor wants to prohibit sugar-laden soft drinks from vending machines, restaurants, kiosks and cafeterias at 200 hospitals across the state.

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LABOR’S plan to ban sugary soft drinks in NSW hospitals has been branded “nanny state madness” from elitist “fuss buckets” – while the nursing union says small amounts of fizzy pop can actually help patients.

NSW Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord wants to prohibit sugar-laden soft drinks from vending machines, restaurants, kiosks and cafeterias at 200 hospitals across the state.

It comes after Murrumbidgee Local Health District banned sugary soft drinks from its 31 hospitals in April, amid concerns that over-consumption was causing ill health.

NSW Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord

“This is a small, but significant step,” Mr Secord said. “It is about setting an example and hospitals are the best places to start. This is about changing the habits of Australia’s children.”

Mr Secord wants a phased-in ban across all of NSW’s 15 health districts, with claims that young blokes are consuming up to 1.5 litres of soft drinks a day, putting them at serious risk of developing diabetes or becoming obese.

Health Minister Jillian Skinner said there are no plans for a state-wide ban on soft drinks in hospitals but said: “Other local health districts will watch with interest and take up the idea if they believe it suits their local population”.

But Liberal Upper House MP Peter Phelps was disgusted by the plan, describing it as “yet another example of nanny state madness from the out of touch elitists of the Labor Party”.

“It’s these middle class fuss-buckets who think they have some sort of superior right to tell us how to live our lives. Their world view is simple and evil: we don’t like it, so it must be banned,” Mr Phelps added.

“I note they don’t propose to ban three-sugar double-caramel-shot lattes. Why? Because fancy coffee is drunk by inner-city yuppie health totalitarians, and soft drink is drunk by everyday Australians.

“Well, I don’t need your dumb advice - and neither do the millions of responsible soft drink consumers out there.”

The NSW Nursing and Midwives Association supports a reduction in the consumption of sugary soft drinks for health reasons but said nursing staff need access to the beverages.

“When consumed in moderation, soft drinks can also assist sick patients who just need that bit of lemonade to settle their stomach or give nurses and midwives a sugar hit to keep their energy levels high during long shifts at work,” said NSWNMA general secretary Judith Kiejda.

Western Sydney Local Health District boss Danny O’Connor warned at the weekend that hundreds of thousands of Western Sydney residents have diabetes or are at high risk of developing the illness.