A re-elected majority Liberal Government will ensure Tasmanians in need have food on the table, including extending our school lunch pilot to 30 schools.

Our plan will strengthen access for all Tasmanians to healthy nutritious food, as well as capitalising on the wonderful produce our state provides.

A Gutwein majority Liberal Government will:

• Extend our School Lunch pilot to 30 schools, with a $1.4 million investment;
• Deliver over $3 million in emergency food relief and food security funding to help the most vulnerable;
• Establish Tasmania’s first Food Security Strategy; and
• Increase funding to Grans Van, Louis Van and Mission Beat.

School Lunch Pilot Extension

We will build on the success of the Tasmanian School Canteen Association’s school lunches pilot in late 2020, increasing access to the program from six schools to 30, over two years.

Positive feedback from our initial pilot includes better concentration, increased school attendance and a reduction in behavioural issues of our young people.

The extended school pilot will include grants for participating schools to purchase kitchen equipment, and receive food through the expansion of base funding for food security organisations.

Additional funding will also be provided to the Tasmanian School Canteen Association to employ regional coordinators to support schools to develop their own food plans and implement a healthy lunch program, with dietician support provided through the Department of Health.

Procurement of local food is an important link that also supports the local economy, and we will be looking very closely at how we can encourage those links.

In our first 100 days, we will conduct an Expression of Interest process for the first 15 schools to take part in the first year, with priority to lower socio-economic areas. It is expected school lunches will be provided at these schools from Term One, 2022.

Deliver over $3 million in emergency food relief and food security to help the most vulnerable

We will increase funding for emergency food relief to $3 million over 3 years, with an increase in base funding so organisations can increase their capacity to provide food for schools taking part in the School Lunch pilot, to give organisations funding certainty.

Establish Tasmania’s first Food Security Strategy

It is also critical that all Tasmanians have food security, and we are fortunate that our Island produces some of the best produce in the world.

It is also important that we have a Plan to not only consider where and how we provide emergency food relief across the State, but also to ensure people in immediate need receive help, and our long-term food security is protected.

A re-elected majority Liberal Government will develop Tasmania’s first Food Security Strategy, working closely with emergency food relief providers and the community sector to strengthen access for all Tasmanians to healthy nutritious food, and to ensure food gets to where it is needed most.

Increase funding to Grans Van, Louis Van and Mission Beat

Not everyone can access food when they need it, and food vans play a vital role in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community who are experiencing a range of issues such as homelessness, social isolation and unemployment.

A re-elected Gutwein majority Liberal Government will provide $60,000 per van each year to Grans Van, Louis Van and Mission Beat, for three years.

Our support will ensure this vital community service can continue supporting people when they are in crisis and help them get back on their feet.

Our record in Government

• $4.3 million across 2018-2021 to support Tasmanians in need, including for food security measures and action to address cost of living pressures.
• $1.4 million additional funding for emergency food relief during COVID-19.
• An additional $1.8 million over three years in increased funding for Foodbank, Loaves & Fishes and Tasmania’s mobile food vans since 2018
• Funding certainty for Loaves & Fishes and Foodbank through to 2022
• Food data exercise to better map food distribution and access across the state.

Only a re-elected Gutwein majority Liberal Government has a clear plan to secure Tasmania’s future and provide further financial support to community organisations.

Read the full policy here.