To Legal and Social Issues Committee,  

We represent — food relief organisations in Victoria. 

As a collective, we provide essential food relief to — Victorians every month. Though we feed our communities in different ways (including hampers, take-away cooked meals, on-site meals and soup kitchens) our understanding of the issue is the same: we witness firsthand the devastating impacts of food insecurity on people and families.  

We are acutely aware of how inadequate access to food leads to long-term negative impacts across physical, mental and social health. Without sufficient nutritious food, it is much harder for people to participate in work, education, community activities and daily life. 

Food insecurity is steeply on the rise in Victoria. 

The demand for food relief in Victoria is higher than ever, with 87% of Victorian charities supported by OzHarvest seeing an increase in community demand in the last 6 months. Food insecurity is affecting households of all kinds – the majority of people presenting to many of our partner services are employed (54%) and housed.  

80% of people experiencing food insecurity attribute the cause of their food insecurity to cost-of-living pressures. Access to affordable housing plays a key role, as does higher utility bills and the ever-increasing costs of groceries. We know food is almost always the first to go: 94% of those experiencing food insecurity state that they manage cost-of-living pressures by reducing their spending on food first (Hunger Report, 2023). 

Food insecurity intersects with multiple vulnerabilities. 

Food insecurity can therefore be attributed, in part, to finances: income, wealth, and food affordability. But, much broader, food insecurity is both a product and a cause of vulnerabilities (Hart, 2009) and requires a range of services to address the root cause of the problem. It almost never exists in isolation, rather is a product of intersecting vulnerabilities and unmet needs, such as housing insecurity, financial stress, family and domestic violence, mental health or substance misuse issues (Booth et al., 2018). Food insecurity intersects closely with drivers of poverty and growing inequality in Australia. 

The outcomes of food insecurity are far reaching – from psychological distress to chronic disease – which places further strain on services. Decisive, systemic action is needed to address these issues holistically. 

Support for the food relief sector is needed as an emergency service. 

Addressing poverty and inequality is by far the most important step in solving chronic food insecurity. However, food relief services are still essential – without emergency food relief, hundreds of thousands people and families would go hungry. 

But the stark reality is, 74% of Victorian agencies don’t have enough food and resources to meet the increased demand (over 30% increase in the last 6 months alone). A third of people accessing food relief services in Victoria are doing so for the first time. More funding is needed for our sector to address the immediate and growing need for local food relief, and to get nutritious food to those who need it most.  

We acknowledge that emergency food relief (while essential) does not solve chronic food insecurity, and is not a sustainable way for someone to access food over a long period of time. It does, however, meaningfully support those experiencing temporary, or transitory food insecurity, and is an essential connector to other services (below). 

By adequately funding the emergency food relief sector, the Victorian Government would ensure that people and families experiencing temporary food insecurity would not need to go hungry. 

Food relief is a crucial gateway to other essential services. 

We know that food relief acts as a connector to other services – food relief is often the first type of social service someone accesses, because of the experience of hunger (Pollard et al., 2019). In fact, a review commissioned by the Federal Government into emergency relief programs found that “food assistance is often the entry point to emergency relief as clients have a higher level of comfort in seeking this type of support.” 

Trauma-informed food relief services can play an integral part of meeting an immediate need of hunger by providing access to sustainable, reliable, safe and nutritious food relief, whilst connecting them to services such as health, emergency housing, employment services and more. Additionally, many food relief services provide community and social benefits. Together, these can work to address the underlying drivers of food insecurity. 

The Victorian Government therefore has a key role to play in providing ongoing funding for the operation of food relief services, and ensuring the services are well-resourced enough to offer (or connect to), other forms of essential support. 

We’re calling on the Victorian Government to take immediate action. 

As a collective of food relief providers and connected support services, we are asking the Victorian Government to address food insecurity through: 

• Policies, programs and funding to address the underlying causes of food insecurity: poverty and inequality 
• Increased support for the food relief sector to help us meet the demand while longer term food security interventions are established. 

Yours sincerely, 

Victorian Food Relief Service Providers