The national lobby group, Obesity Policy Coalition has demanded that the Australian government should revise its policy of not restricting fast food ads targeted at children. The policy group says that there is strong public support for legislation that would restrict convenience food companies' advertisements during children's TV shows, in schools and at sporting events.

"Nine out of 10 people thought that junk food marketing to children should be restricted on television, but there's high support in general for controls on some of the techniques used to target children, such as toys and competitions", said Jane Martin, of the Coalition.

The senior advisor added that children were currently surrounded by industry messages undermining healthy eating campaigns. The self-regulation that was allegedly carried out by the industry was clearly not an effective tool to limit campaigns advertising junk food, Martin said.

Boyd Swinburn, a spokesperson for the Centre For Obesity Prevention, agreed that the flood of commercials advertising unhealthy foods to children had to be curbed. He slammed sponsorships at sporting events and school cafeterias as well as allowing the targeting of children through internet games and competitions as unacceptable for a country facing an obesity epidemic.

Currently, around one-quarter of Australian children are either obese or overweight.