Debate is raging over whether the nation should adopt a 'sugar tax', following comments made by the recipient of this year's Australian of the Year award.
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South Australian eye surgeon Dr James Muecke used his acceptance speech on Saturday night to bring attention to the "looming catastrophe" of preventable blindness as a result of type 2 diabetes. He has called on the government to introduce a tax to increase prices of high-sugar commodities in attempt to deter its consumption.
The 2016 census snapshot revealed that 48 per cent of adults in Australia consume sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened drinks once a week.
Meanwhile, 9.1 per cent would drink something sweet each day.
The statistics further revealed young adults living in disadvantaged areas were three times more likely to consume sugary drinks daily.
Junee's recently-crowned Citizen of the Year, Maria Turner, said she had concerns over what such a tax would mean for farmers.
"As a farmer, I am very anti anything that could be a detriment to the farming industry," she said.
"I think people need to make an educated opinion on the stance they take on sugar intake or even salt intake, but I think there are other ways around it and I certainly wouldn't want to target the farmers at all."
Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke told The Southern Cross that while she couldn't weigh in directly on the federal issue, she did want to remind the community of the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
"In 2020 I would encourage everyone to be thinking about their health," she said. "We live in an amazing part of the country filled with fresh local produce and wonderful opportunities to exercise. I would love to see people making the most of those parts of our community."