Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are several wonderful Meals on Wheels services in my electorate of Moreton. Before I had kids and entered parliament I used to volunteer weekly, but I still try to get out and help them whenever I can. I recently helped the Sunnybank/Salisbury Meals on Wheels do their regular run delivering meals to locals. It was a very busy morning. The volunteers: their time is short but they work hard. It's an important service that is so much more than delivering delicious and nutritional and sometimes dietary-specific food.

The volunteers are a critical part of the lives of the locals who receive Meals on Wheels. They provide wellbeing checks, which improve health and reduce the social isolation of the elderly. Meals on Wheels provides crucial early intervention, reduces malnutrition and reduces social isolation, which is a risk to one in four older Australians who live alone. This service is important right across the country. There are 592 services across Australia, covering almost every metropolitan and rural community. Older Australians who use the Meals on Wheels service are asked to contribute to the cost of the service. Meals on Wheels are calling on the Morrison government to lift the threshold government contribution per meal service output to make the payments fair and affordable. It's important that older Australians who require a service such as Meals on Wheels are able to access it. It keeps them in their homes. The small cost to government of a service like Meals on Wheels is value for money. Not having the service would drive up health and aged care costs. I thank all the Meals on Wheels volunteers in Moreton. You are doing a wonderful job, and I look forward to coming up with you again soon.