Australia is facing a food security crisis, and it is about to be made even worse by unnecessary government policy.
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A recent report has highlighted that as many as 3.7 million Australian households have battled concerning levels of food insecurity in the past year, with cost being the major factor.
Forty-eight per cent of people reported reducing their purchasing of fresh produce and protein.
“The findings from this report, by Foodbank Australia, should be a wake-up call to our nation,” Speak Up Campaign deputy chair Lloyd Polkinghorne said.
“How can an affluent country like Australia force so many people to eat poorly, while at the same time prioritising legislation that is going to further increase the cost of fresh food? It’s unconscionable.”
Mr Polkinghorne also referenced recent media reporting which highlighted a submission from Dietitians Australia that stated “preventable deaths attributable to unhealthy eating” was around 28,000 a year.
“Yet at the same time as we have these sobering numbers, we have a Federal Government which has passed legislation in the Lower House that will reduce food production in Australia’s food bowl, with the obvious impact of driving up food prices even further.
“As a result, it is inevitable that even more people will not be able to afford fresh, locally grown food at their local supermarket.
“The price of staple foods will increase and the ability of average families to afford the fresh food that we need to stay healthy will be compromised.
“Of course, it’s not an issue that will impact the affluent politicians and city elites who are promoting the policy that will force up food prices.
“They will be able to afford the price increases, but that will increasingly not be the case for the average household.”
Lloyd Polkinghorne.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
Mr Polkinghorne explained that under the Albanese Government’s Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023, significant volumes of water will be purchased from farmers and stored in dams, in the name of protecting the environment.
He said the only hope for families and farming communities now is that the legislation is defeated in the Senate.
“However, as numerous organisations have highlighted, we can achieve the environmental benefits without buybacks, which have a proven history of damage to farming communities.
“We are finding it impossible to understand why Water Minister Tanya Plibersek will not work with communities on these viable alternatives.
“To this point, she won’t even visit affected regions to discuss local concerns and issues.”
Mr Polkinghorne said there is indisputable evidence that water buybacks reduce the amount of water available for food production and they also force up the water market price.
Therefore, we produce less food and at a higher cost to the farmer, and this is passed on to consumers.
“In the Foodbank Australia report, on top of nearly half the respondents saying they are buying less fresh produce and protein, more than a third said they ‘compromise their food choices’ or are forced to ‘skip meals or whole days of eating’.
“With all the information available to her, it is unfathomable that our federal water minister would then deliberately legislate to make this problem even worse.
“Labor Governments in the past have had more compassion for average Australians, but it appears that has all changed.
“Their focus is now on appeasing the elites who don’t appreciate that it is possible to protect the environment and grow food, nor will they make an effort to learn how this can be done.
“As a result, we are facing a future where fresh food and protein is going to get even more expensive and the health of millions of Australians will suffer as a result.”
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