Ministerial Statement

COMMUNITY FOODIE PROGRAM

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:02): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Community Foodies is a South Australian nutrition program that aims to build the capacity of communities to make healthier food choices. It does this by training and supporting volunteers to, in turn, support other volunteer community members. These volunteers provide healthy eating messages and skills in the community.

The Community Foodies program started 10 years ago with a single site at Noarlunga. It has since grown to 21 sites across the state. As of December 2012, there were 290 registered active volunteers and 71 trained staff members to plan and deliver accessible and engaging community-based activities.

Since becoming Minister for Health, I have heard dozens of stories from people whose kids now eat vegetables, from people who now take pleasure in cooking, and from people who are taking charge of their health. These stories come from the country and the suburbs and they come from people living in some of our most disadvantaged regions.

Recently, I visited a Community Foodies in Noarlunga. There I met a lively group of cheery volunteers, all working together and joking around. It was heartening to talk with the people and hear firsthand how Community Foodies have changed their lives.

The government acknowledges the value and success of the Community Foodies program and the impact it has had on contributing to the reduction of obesity and the burden of chronic disease by providing education at the grassroots level and empowering families with healthy lifestyles and parenting messages.

The government will continue to fund Community Foodies but we believe these services can best be hosted by a non-government organisation (NGO). The volunteers and groups will remain the same, but the government is proposing funding be transferred to a suitable NGO to manage Community Foodies. The Department for Health will run a tender to identify a suitable NGO and we will be inviting a representative from Community Foodies to be on the selection panel.

The chosen NGO will have experience in working with volunteers, as well as establishing linkages with the service providers that support vulnerable communities such as housing agencies, counselling services and employment programs. The government is confident that this will ensure a more integrated approach for people with complex needs. Shortly, I will be announcing the government's response to the McCann review on other non-hospital-based services.