Thursday, 30 November 2023

Food security

Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:30): (647) My adjournment matter tonight is to the Treasurer, and I ask that he take action to ensure that Victorians can afford basic groceries this festive season. This holiday season many Victorians will be paying more and more for their Christmas food and their groceries and they will be getting less and less in their trolley. We just need to acknowledge we are all vey privileged here. Let us be real, we have substantial incomes and we really cannot be claiming to be currently facing too much difficulty when it comes to paying for our groceries. But I am certainly hearing from many people from my region and from across the state who are really struggling, and I think we have an obligation to listen to these experiences and to take action. Summer and the festive season are upon us, a time that for many is supposed to be all about friends and family and celebrating and food. But let us be honest, it is difficult to enjoy the festive season if you are already struggling. How are people supposed to afford the extra expense of the Christmas feast or another holiday meal when week by week they have barely enough to get by?

Food is essential. We cannot live without it. We do not thrive if we do not have access to healthy food. It has such a broad impact on our general health and wellbeing that our state government really should be doing everything in its power to make sure that everyone has access to fresh, healthy and affordable food, yet Foodbank has reported that this year food insecurity has risen by 10 per cent from just last year, and it is now affecting people who have never previously been impacted. Within these figures there is some even more worrying information. Forty per cent of people who rely on disability pensions or who are carers, those who are experiencing homelessness or live in social or mobile housing are facing severe food insecurity.

Governments collectively have the power to act, to make sure that people can access fresh and healthy food. Our state government could do a whole range of things to address this, and unfortunately they currently are not. To all my colleagues in this place, while I do wish you a happy holiday, I also say: remember, many in the community will not be able to enjoy the festive season as we are able to. We must do more for them – we must.