A re-elected majority Rockliff Liberal Government will expand our highly successful Healthy School Lunches program, doubling it to reach 60 schools over the next two years.

“Healthy School Lunches is a highly successful program we established in 2022 which provides affordable, healthy lunches to students at school”, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.

“We know that children are more likely to attend, concentrate and enjoy school when they have a healthy lunch.

“Already, the evidence indicates that Healthy School Lunches is having a positive impact on student attendance, behaviour and health, with school Principals reporting improved attendance, behaviour and education outcomes.

“Over the past year, over 7,000 healthy hot lunches were served to over 4,000 students, in 30 schools."

The Premier said that over the next two years, Healthy School Lunches will be expanded to another 30 schools, increasing the number of Tasmanian students accessing the program to around 8,000 per year.

“Healthy School Lunches will provide affordable, healthy lunches, with a voluntary gold-coin contribution per lunch for those who can afford it, saving families up to $950 per year.

“Importantly, Healthy School Lunches will also support our primary producers, with 75 per cent of the fresh produce used to be sourced from local farmers.

“Our Plan includes one-off upgrades to schools for their kitchens and canteens and staff for each school.

“Along with our 2030 Strong Plan education policies including investing in new maths and science teachers and our $188 million School Building Blitz, Healthy School Lunches will help ensure our students get the best possible start in life.”

The cost of expanding Healthy School Lunches is $14.6 million, including $600,000 in capital.