There is further support Australia's waistlines are expanding - new research shows a majority of patients waiting in doctors' surgeries are overweight or obese.
The snapshot into general practice in Australia shows 60 percent of patients receiving treatment are overweight or obese.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare study, GPs have also noticed a quarter of the people walking through their surgeries drink at risky levels.
The face of the local doctor is also changing with more than a third of approaching retirement age.
That's prompted calls for more GP training places.