PDF printable version of Eating Disorders Collaboration to Host National Workshop (PDF 19 KB)
Joint Release
The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
The Hon Kate Ellis MP
Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, and Minister for Sport
23 October 2009
The National Eating Disorders Collaboration – led by the Butterfly Foundation – is hosting a National Workshop on eating disorders in Canberra on Saturday 24 October at the Australian National University.
More than 150 participants, including experts in the field of eating disorders, Collaboration members and supporters, people with eating disorders, their families and carers will gather to work on the best ways to minimise the impact of eating disorders, through promotion, prevention and early intervention.
Currently, one in every hundred adolescent girls develops anorexia, and one in twenty develops bulimia. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.
Services for people with anorexia and bulimia are fragmented and disjointed, research is scarce, and the information available to people and their families is often inconsistent. This means that these vulnerable members of our community often struggle to get the care and advice they need.
That’s why earlier this year the Rudd Government announced funding of $500,000 to the Butterfly Foundation to establish and lead the Collaboration.
The Butterfly Foundation is a not-for-profit community organisation that convened and leads the recently established Eating Disorders Australian National Network, a coalition of leading experts in eating disorders and body image.
The Collaboration has membership of over 60 organisations from across Australia and has brought together experts to develop a coordinated national approach to eating disorders, focused on filling gaps in services, and providing information to adolescents, schools, health providers and the media.
The Butterfly Foundation has been funded to lead the collaboration until March 2010.
As part of the Preventative Health National Partnership Agreement, the Rudd Government will invest an additional $3 million over four years to extend the work of the National Eating Disorders Collaboration to 2013.
In addition, the Government has allocated $125,000 for a National Advisory Group on Body Image to develop a Voluntary National Media and Industry Code of Conduct on body image. The group will present its report to the Government shortly.
For all media inquiries, please contact Minister Roxon's Office on 02 6277 7220.
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