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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-10 Daily Xml
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OZHARVEST

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. T. A. Franks:

1. That this council notes—

(a) the fine work of OzHarvest, a non-denominational charity that rescues excess food which would otherwise be discarded and distributes this excess food to charities supporting the vulnerable;

(b) that OzHarvest was founded in Sydney in 2004 and has now expanded to Canberra, Newcastle and, as of today, Adelaide, where this exciting philanthropic initiative boasts Maggie Beer as its ambassador and a partnership with UnitingCare Wesley, Port Adelaide;

(c) that since its inception, OzHarvest has rescued more than 5.4 million meals and saved hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste from going to landfill; and

2. That this council calls on the Minister for Families and Communities to take a leadership role in supporting this exciting new venture by advocating across state government agencies that undertake catering activities and/or contracts to commit to participating in OzHarvest as a donor agency.

(Continued from 30 June 2010.)

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (20:10): I would like to congratulate the Hon. Tammy Franks for her motion and I would also like to congratulate the Minister for Families and Communities, the Hon. Jennifer Rankine, who is already working quietly on the initiatives called for in this motion.

I can advise the chamber that Zero Waste has already been working with OzHarvest and discussions have been held with Zero Waste SA, I have been advised, since late 2009. I also understand that OzHarvest is still seeking funding from the state government through Zero Waste for various components of the program. As I have been advised, it has been proposed that Zero Waste SA could assist with funding for containers to move food.

I am also advised that, through the Department for Families and Communities, the Community Connect branch met with the founding director of OzHarvest in October 2009. I understand that at that meeting, it was explained that DFC could facilitate connections with service delivery agencies, promote information about OzHarvest within DFC and assist with their transition to South Australia where appropriate, which is, I think, what the honourable member's motion calls for.

Again, I would like to thank the honourable member for her motion, which has provided me an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the significant work already being done with regard to OzHarvest. I congratulate again minister Rankine for her efforts in this area. As always, the minister has just quietly gone about her work without much fanfare. This hard work would have gone unrecognised had this motion not been moved by the Hon. Tammy Franks. I thank her again for the opportunity to put on record the excellent work of minister Rankine across her portfolio responsibilities. Government members are happy to support this motion.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (20:12): I rise on behalf of opposition members to say that we also are very pleased to support the motion.

The Hon. T.A. Franks: Feel the love.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: I feel the love. It is lovely to be in a tripartisan relationship with the Hon. Tammy Franks and the Greens. The OzHarvest began when Ronni Kahn, the founding director, decided that she was not prepared to be part of the waste cycle that is a natural outcome of the hospitality industry. Being a part of this industry for over 20 years, she had seen a lot of food waste so she spent quite a bit of time researching options for dealing with the excess food.

Backed by the Macquarie Group Foundation, which provides funds, and Goodman International, which provided a van and office space, OzHarvest was established and collected its first meal in November 2004.

Ronni was able to persuade a group of socially minded business people to sit on the board of OzHarvest. This voluntary board brings not only sound business disciplines to the management of OzHarvest but also compassion and generosity.

The launch of the Adelaide operation of OzHarvest was held at the Wine Centre on 24 June 2010. I am pleased to report that Liberal members Vickie Chapman, Adrian Pederick, Rachel Sanderson, Peter Treloar and Ivan Venning joined minister Caica on this occasion.

The government introduced, and we support, amendments to the Civil Liability Act to protect donors of food from civil litigation. This action was initiated by the Young Lawyers Association of the Law Society of South Australia and we commend them for this initiative. The opposition strongly supports OzHarvest and the work it carries out. We commend the Hon. Tammy Franks for her motion. The opposition is pleased to support the motion.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (20:15): I thank the members who have made a contribution on this motion, in particular the Hons Ian Hunter and Terry Stephens. I am heartened to hear that the minister is quietly and competently going about the business of ensuring that there is not wasted food from government agencies and, in fact, that this state government does give OzHarvest all the support it possibly can to ensure this wonderful venture takes off in Adelaide. I look forward to that charity beginning in our house. I look forward to the wastage that we often see in Parliament House with our catering actually going to hungry mouths and good causes, and I commend the motion to the chamber.

Motion carried.

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