Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Have you ever worried about where your next meal was coming from? Have you wondered whether you can afford bread and vegemite so your kids can eat for the next week? I can tell you that I have, and it sucks. One in six Australians have been living that reality this year. Many of them found they couldn't put food on the table for the first time in their lives. They're relying on the goodwill of their community to get food in their kids' bellies before they head to school in the morning and come home at night.

The Green Bean Cafe in Launceston is pitching in to help. Paul and Tracey open their cafe once a week at dinnertime for anyone who needs a meal. They pay for the meals out of their own pocket because they've seen people struggling and they want to give back. They don't want any thanks or to be given anything for their efforts. They just want people to pass on their kindness and they want people to know they are open to feed those who need it. It's not just about a hot meal—although, I have to say, the meal is pretty good. It's a place for people from all walks of life to have a chat and have a safe place to be. These community co-ops and services are filling an important gap in their community that bigger foodbanks and charities cannot reach.

We can't let our fellow Australians fall through the cracks. Good people like Tracey and Paul are willing to help make sure that that doesn't happen, but we just need to give them all the support we can. I have noticed, in going very quickly around Tasmania, that there are different cafes and so on doing this sort of thing. It would be really nice for the state government to find a building in these city areas that people and charities can use on different days. All they need is a kitchen and a fridge and somewhere for people to sit down and have their meal and some time to talk. One building is all they're asking for, and there's no reason Tasmania can't provide this. You can have CWA going in one day to feed people; you can have a business owner going in the next day. There are plenty of people out there who are prepared to do this. They really just need a facility. So, if the Tasmanian state government could think about that, that would be fabulous.