Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's with great pleasure that I rise to make a contribution in this parliament on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs most recent report, on food pricing and food security in remote Indigenous communities. The report was tabled just last week. I do say a very big thank you to the chair of our committee, the member for Berowra, Julian Leeser, who worked very collaboratively with all members of the committee. I certainly also want to acknowledge the leadership of Labor's Deputy Chair, Mr Warren Snowdon, the member for Lingiari. Together, they really helped set a tone and focus in that committee that was very helpful indeed. I would also like to acknowledge the work of my Labor colleague Anne Stanley, the member for Werriwa, who was present at, I think, pretty much every single hearing, and indeed of many of the government members: the members for Curtin, Longman, Herbert and Leichhardt. It was, as I said, a good, collaborative approach, as committees in this parliament should indeed be.

Thanks also to the secretariat, who do all of the heavy lifting in these inquiries. Clearly, because of the health restrictions with COVID-19, we were not able to travel. It's the first time that I am aware of that the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs was not actually able to go and sit down on country to talk face to face with people about the issues that are most important to them. I think it was challenging for a lot of people to present via telephone conferences and video links as a mechanism to try to overcome those barriers. Not only is the technology challenging at times; I think that, when you're trying to communicate when English is your fourth language, there are additional barriers in using video links.

But I give heartfelt thanks to all of the witnesses. There was great coverage. We had 128 submissions to the inquiry, with an additional 23 supplementaries. Across 13 public hearings, 55 different organisations, communities and groups actually appeared as witnesses, as I said, via telephone and video link. I think that, given the tough circumstances, that was really quite good coverage.

In the limited time here today, I do want to acknowledge just how important it was for us to expand the original terms of reference that came to the committee. It was very focused on the issue of food pricing and the price gouging that it was reported was taking place during COVID-19 in many of the remote parts of Australia. The committee really sought to ensure that the focus was broader than price gouging and did in fact look at an issue that has a long history in Australia: the issue of food security or, indeed, the insecurity of food in many parts of Australia, particularly for First Nations communities. There was an agreement around expanding that.

This is not a new problem in Australia, as I just indicated. Indeed, this report is the third in recent history that has come before the parliament on the issue of food security in remote Indigenous communities, which really should ring some alarm bells for all of us in this parliament. There's a good body of work that's been done by previous committees. We've added to that now, and I do take on board the certain frustrations that members have had around when we get to implement and how we make sure of the implementation of these recommendations.

This brings me to recommendation No. 10. They're all important recommendations, but this one really goes to the historical failure to implement our previous work. It calls on the Australian government to take a leadership role but in a genuine partnership with the states and territory jurisdictions and, indeed, with First Nations people and their communities to develop a national strategy for food security and nutrition for First Nations communities.

We have had a national plan before. We have had a national plan focusing on food nutrition, but, as the ANAO reported back in 2014 when it was asked to look at this, there is still a lot of work to be done. The national plan on food insecurity was in need of significant review because it was not being implemented in the way that it had been intended. Sadly, despite the ANAO's attempts to get that review underway since 2014, we're now in 2020 and that has not happened. We've wasted six more years, quite frankly.

So there is that level of frustration that people remain living in communities where the cost of accessing fresh food is almost prohibitive. We know that food security is recognised as a social determinant of health. I'm very pleased to see a couple of medical professionals in this room right now. You of all people would understand the need for access to quality, nutritious foods. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote parts of Australia experience a disproportionate burden of diet related chronic disease. Again, I think there is no dispute on this issue. This occurs, however, in an environment where the cost of store purchased food is outrageously high and cash incomes for people and families are ridiculously low. You've got these two factors that affect both food insecurity and health outcomes.

A national strategy that is committed to, that is properly resourced and indeed backed by all of the jurisdictions, would deliver a coordinated and targeted approach to providing a secure, sustainable and healthy food supply into remote communities. I don't think anybody here thinks it's okay that people are paying $10 for an iceberg lettuce or $5 for a piece of fruit, when perhaps, at the very same stores for other reasons, they can buy sugar drinks cheaper than water. I know a lot of communities are doing amazing work to flip that on its head and ensure that healthy foods are prioritised and made affordable, but there are significant barriers in place. Many of the recommendations in the report go to that.

I briefly want to pick up on one issue. Indeed the member for Kennedy was a witness at this inquiry and put on record his concerns around local food production. There is a recommendation here that goes to the heart of those concerns expressed by many First Nations communities. That was that the Australian government must better support local food production in remote communities and help meet food safety standards. There were some issues of concern there, but this report absolutely backs in local food production in the form of community gardens, fishing enterprises, mobile abattoirs. There were lots of fantastic suggestions that came forward and are absolutely deserving. They should be given support and encouraged so that communities make a greater use of locally sourced food. I commend this report to the House. I sincerely hope that the third report in recent years finally results in some action.

Debate adjourned.

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