South Australian Food Relief Charter and Nutrition Guidelines

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Human Services about the recently launched South Australian Food Relief Charter. Can the minister please provide an update to the council about the charter and accompanying nutrition guidelines that the minister recently co-signed along with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing and representatives of the food security sector?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:44): I thank the honourable member for her question. Food security is a key determinant of heath and prosperity, with food insecurity linked to chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. For many people who may be experiencing difficult times, the South Australian charity sector has often been a source of support, providing food parcels and assistance to help people get back on track.

Several years ago, the Department of Human Services, together with the Department for Health and Wellbeing, undertook a project to better understand the growing need for food relief within our community, as well as the rapid growth of the food relief sector more generally. This project found that charitable food relief was an increasing part of South Australia's welfare response and an invaluable service for those in need. It also found that it contributes to reducing food waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, and drew on the efforts of a vast number of volunteers across the state. It also found that there were opportunities to improve nutrition for people receiving food relief and build pathways out of dependence into food security.

A final report was released in 2018 with recommendations for both government and the food relief sector. I was very pleased recently, together with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, to launch two of the recommendations from the report: firstly, the framework for food relief service provision, or the charter; and the nutrition guidelines. The charter details five key principles for best practice service delivery to people experiencing food insecurity, which are as follows:

collaborating to build an effective and integrated food relief system;

focusing on nutrition and health;

delivering a service built on fairness and equity;

connecting people, building skills and confidence; and

monitoring and evaluating to measure collective impact.

This year, the Department of Human Services has had a particular focus on food relief through the Grants SA program and in recent years has provided assistance and grants to a range of organisations that operate in this space, including Foodbank, Uniting Country, Heart and Soul, Food for the Community, OzHarvest and SecondBite, to name a few. DHS also administers the emergency financial assistance program, which is free and confidential and is available to people who are experiencing personal financial difficulties, which is delivered by multiple agencies across the state and provides people with immediate financial assistance, often in the form of Foodbank food vouchers or other material assistance.

Food security entities also receive funding through a number of other sources, including the commonwealth government. It was a great pleasure to co-sign those documents with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing in the presence of representatives from a range of those non-government organisations. The food guidelines, unsurprisingly, break foods into green, amber and red and should go a long way to ensuring that people who are experiencing disadvantage also get to have a healthy diet.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Franks.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Thank you, Mr President, for the call, and I believe congratulations are in order for your nomination for the Senate.

The PRESIDENT: I am not sure I have, but anyway.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: I may have been unreliably informed by one of your colleagues, Mr President—

The PRESIDENT: You might have been, actually.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: —possibly to be senator.