❓ Mr Rundle (Opposition) questions the Premier about expanding school breakfast/lunch programs to address food insecurity, particularly in regional and low-income areas. The Premier avoids a direct commitment, highlighting existing cost-of-living relief measures and support for food charities.
AnsweredQoN 672Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SCHOOL STUDENTS —
FOOD INSECURITY
672. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Premier:
Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf
of the opposition, I acknowledge your fantastic contribution to Parliament and
to your electorate as well.
Today, on World Food Day, more than
116 000 children in Western Australia are going hungry, while last year more
than 388 000 Western Australians were affected by food insecurity.
(1) Noting the comment made today by Western Australian
Council of Social Service CEO Louise Giolitto that food insecurity is even
worse in our regions, will the government commit to expanding breakfast and
lunch programs in our schools,
especially in regional and lower income areas, so that no child starts the day
hungry?
(2) If not, why
not?
FOOD INSECURITY
672. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Premier:
Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf
of the opposition, I acknowledge your fantastic contribution to Parliament and
to your electorate as well.
Today, on World Food Day, more than
116 000 children in Western Australia are going hungry, while last year more
than 388 000 Western Australians were affected by food insecurity.
(1) Noting the comment made today by Western Australian
Council of Social Service CEO Louise Giolitto that food insecurity is even
worse in our regions, will the government commit to expanding breakfast and
lunch programs in our schools,
especially in regional and lower income areas, so that no child starts the day
hungry?
(2) If not, why
not?
AnswerView source ↗
Madam Speaker, can I place on the
record on behalf of the government our appreciation for your service to the
Parliament of 30 years. From that perspective, Madam Speaker, you will be known
as one of the greats. I also acknowledge the most relieved person in the
chamber today, Greg Roberts, and your family. Greg, I wish you all the very
best in the world. You got there!
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. Of course, as the member knows, cost-of-living
relief is a key outcome and goal for my government. We are absolutely laser
focused on making sure that we provide cost-of-living relief for Western Australians
so they can continue to enjoy the benefits of living in the greatest state with
the strongest economy in the country. From that perspective, we have literally
invested hundreds of millions of dollars in cost-of-living relief, which now
goes to four years in a row of household electricity credits, including, in
partnership with the commonwealth government, which is also committed to this
cause, $700 of household electricity credits in this year alone. In addition,
as the member would know, we had our WA student assistant payment that has put
$75 million back into the pockets of Western Australian families. That is in
addition to our efforts to ensure that everyone has free public transport on a Sunday,
every kid going to and from school has free public transport and no-one will
pay more than a two-zone fare when catching public transport. That represents
literally thousands of dollars in savings for many Western Australians. Of
course, we have also done work in regional WA, making sure that pensioners who
live in regional WA have extra assistance through the regional economic
development portfolio, including an extra $100 on their fuel cards. Our
regional capped airfares have saved literally thousands of dollars for an
individual and potentially tens of thousands of dollars for a family. They are
important measures to make sure people can afford the basics in life—that
they can afford to send their kids to school with a lunch and put food on the
table at night. We continue to look at more areas in which to support Western Australian
families in this way. In the 2024–25 budget, we allocated an extra $1.5
million to important food charity groups, such as Foodbank, OzHarvest and
SecondBite. These are important services because they are known to the
community and people feel confident when they go to them. We want to continue
to support them by making sure that we provide those extra resources to those
organisations that are doing such a great job on behalf of the people of Western
Australia. We continue to make sure that Western Australian families get the
supports they need when they are managing the cost-of-living pressures that are
impacting every family budget.
record on behalf of the government our appreciation for your service to the
Parliament of 30 years. From that perspective, Madam Speaker, you will be known
as one of the greats. I also acknowledge the most relieved person in the
chamber today, Greg Roberts, and your family. Greg, I wish you all the very
best in the world. You got there!
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. Of course, as the member knows, cost-of-living
relief is a key outcome and goal for my government. We are absolutely laser
focused on making sure that we provide cost-of-living relief for Western Australians
so they can continue to enjoy the benefits of living in the greatest state with
the strongest economy in the country. From that perspective, we have literally
invested hundreds of millions of dollars in cost-of-living relief, which now
goes to four years in a row of household electricity credits, including, in
partnership with the commonwealth government, which is also committed to this
cause, $700 of household electricity credits in this year alone. In addition,
as the member would know, we had our WA student assistant payment that has put
$75 million back into the pockets of Western Australian families. That is in
addition to our efforts to ensure that everyone has free public transport on a Sunday,
every kid going to and from school has free public transport and no-one will
pay more than a two-zone fare when catching public transport. That represents
literally thousands of dollars in savings for many Western Australians. Of
course, we have also done work in regional WA, making sure that pensioners who
live in regional WA have extra assistance through the regional economic
development portfolio, including an extra $100 on their fuel cards. Our
regional capped airfares have saved literally thousands of dollars for an
individual and potentially tens of thousands of dollars for a family. They are
important measures to make sure people can afford the basics in life—that
they can afford to send their kids to school with a lunch and put food on the
table at night. We continue to look at more areas in which to support Western Australian
families in this way. In the 2024–25 budget, we allocated an extra $1.5
million to important food charity groups, such as Foodbank, OzHarvest and
SecondBite. These are important services because they are known to the
community and people feel confident when they go to them. We want to continue
to support them by making sure that we provide those extra resources to those
organisations that are doing such a great job on behalf of the people of Western
Australia. We continue to make sure that Western Australian families get the
supports they need when they are managing the cost-of-living pressures that are
impacting every family budget.
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