A Shorten Labor Government will reverse Scott Morrison’s $323,000 cut to Foodbank.
Foodbank is a food relief organisation that puts food on the table for hundreds of thousands of Australians in need – many of them children.
The organisation provides 67 million meals a year to charities across the country, as well as more than 1,750 schools. They are Australia’s largest food provider to schools for breakfast programs.
Foodbank does an extraordinary job partnering with the food and grocery industry to recover excess or unsaleable products that can be delivered to Australians in need. They work hard to distribute food and groceries with a value of more than $200 million.
They do not need much support from government, nor do they ask for much.
However, they rely on a relatively small amount of funding from the federal government to ensure there are no gaps in their supply of essential food items each day.
The Liberals’ cut puts Foodbank’s Key Staples Program at risk, which helps provide more than $8 million worth of essential food items for Australians.
This cut comes just six weeks from Christmas, and will be delivered during the holiday period – a difficult time for many vulnerable families.
The Government’s cut will have a major impact on Foodbank’s supplies, and risks compromising their ability to distribute emergency food relief during natural disasters.
It could mean that charities have to cut the number of meals they provide each day, vulnerable families miss out on groceries they rely on, and kids miss out on breakfast at school.
This is all about priorities. The Liberals care more about a tax giveaway to the big banks than helping Australians in need.
Labor urges Scott Morrison to acknowledge his government has made a big mistake and reverse this decision. This is not an issue to be stubborn and arrogant about.
If Mr Morrison refuses to reverse his cut, a Shorten Labor Government will.
Labor will make sure our charities have the resources they need to support our fellow Australians, especially children.
