There is little sense that the changes we need in the health care system are happening. There is a sense of stasis.

The graphic cartoon is one reason why the focus of the health care system needs to shift to preventative health and primary health care: Australians are getter fatter:

Leahy

Overweight indicates how the pressure and burden on our hospitals from chronic illness can be lifted if we all took more responsibility for our own health through changing what we eat and doing more exercise.

Alas, no one owns the territory of primary care, and it is deeply contested by the different health groups.

Australians are getting fatter. The recently released Australian Bureau of Statistics national health survey, ,found 62 per cent of men and 45 per cent of women were overweight or obese. However, only 32 per cent of men and 37 per cent of women saw themselves that way, despite millions spent by state and federal governments on promoting a health lifestyle.

This indicates that only about 1 in 3 adults believe themselves to be overweight or obese, yet more than 1 in 2 adults are overweight or obese. If some adults ... parents... believe themselves to be a healthy weight when they are not. How can Australians get it so wrong?