Follow your heart: The Heart Foundation launches campaign for key election policies

The Heart Foundation is calling on Territorians to follow their hearts at this election and support the party with the best policies for your heart health.

The Heart Foundation has four key priorities:

• Reducing smoking by helping people quit and discouraging young people from taking it up (for example, banning smoking and vaping from school grounds).
• Investing in a Walking Strategy to get more people walking more often.
• Banning unhealthy food and drink ads aimed at young people in outdoor spaces
• Improving cardiac care and ensuring everyone can go to rehab services to help them recover after a heart event 

The Northern Territory has the highest daily smoking rate in the country, and the second lowest levels of physical activity, with a staggering 83% of adults and 80% of children not meeting exercise guidelines.

Despite its relatively small population, the Territory has the highest aged-standardised rate of heart disease deaths in the nation. This suggests that people die from heart disease in the NT at a much younger age than elsewhere in Australia.

On average, sixteen Territorians are hospitalised for heart disease, heart attack or stroke every day.
Yet there is severe inequality when it comes to cardiac care in the Northern Territory.

“Increasing cardiac rehab offerings is one way of giving Territorians the best chance of recovering from a heart event and preventing readmission to hospital” said Imelda Lynch, the Heart Foundation’s NT CEO.

Describing the election as a critical opportunity to tackle Australia’s single biggest killer, heart disease, Heart Foundation NT Heart Health Manager Sarah George, encouraged all parties to take up the challenge.

“The Heart Foundation is presenting all political parties with clear, comprehensive and straight- forward measures to improve the heart health of every Territorian,” said Sarah George.

Appealing across party lines, Ms George called for an outcome to benefit Territorians.

“Whoever wins the coming election, the people of the Northern Territory deserve a Government that is up for the fight against Australia’s biggest killer, heart disease. These are just the policies to do that,” Ms George said.

Find out information about the Heart Foundation’s policies and the Follow Your Heart campaign.

Media enquiries

Fleur Jacobs, Media Adviser, Heart Foundation
M: 0427 591 638 E: fleur.jacobs@heartfoundation.org.au

Emily Goddard, Media Adviser, Heart Foundation
M: 0432 417 518 E: emily.goddard@heartfoundation.org.au