Inquiry into the most effective ways for Western Australia to address food insecurity for children and young people affected by poverty. 15 July 2022

Fair Food WA welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the Commissioner for Children and Young People Inquiry into the most effective ways for Western Australia to address food insecurity for children and young people affected by poverty. Fair Food WA (FFWA) brings together expertise from the not-for-profit and government sectors to address food security in Western Australia. FFWA is funded by Lotterywest and hosted by the Western Australian Council of Social Service, the peak body representing the state’s community service sector.

FFWA is a strategic project initiated to improve coordination and effectiveness of the charity food sector in Western Australia and included the development of the Food Relief Framework (FRF) and subsequent solution focused outcomes.

The Framework Report details the increasing demand for food relief as a result of increased cost of living, stagnant wages, inadequate social security payments and supports and
impacts on children. Since the release of the 2019 FRF report, Foodbank continues to report that 1.2 million Australian children have gone hungry in the past year.

FFWA congratulates the Joint Standing Committee for showing leadership and recognising the importance of addressing food security in our children and young people. FFWA believes that the
committee’s investigation will assist the sector better understand who in government must take responsibility for addressing food security, particularly for children.
As we know through the Food Relief Framework, the not-for-profit sector has such good will in meeting the needs of the community. However, it remains unclear as to which government
3 agencies (aside from the valuable contribution of Lotterywest) hold the leadership role in mitigating the impact of food insecurity.

Fair Food WA response here

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