Today we visited CareNet in Templestowe, a remarkable organisation tackling food insecurity by making nutritious food accessible to those in need. pic.twitter.com/olT7JFbQNC
— Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) November 17, 2024
Who doesn’t love them some carbs? Well, coeliacs and other gluten intolerant people would have a hard time with this basket of goodies Dutton showed off over the weekend. As would anyone who’s just relying on whatever comes in their $5 or $10 hamper this week. One thing about the hampers is while they are technically “value for money” and can have like $100 of food in them if it was in date at at retail price, you don’t get a choice of what to get, and while you can make up some meals, there’s plenty missing. Often it’s proteins – you might get some tuna or some chick peas, or it’s fresh items just aren’t there. Luck of the draw, or being able to get to the right place at the right time of the week and able to carry the items on public transport or have a car.
ABC are running a fundraising drive for Foodbank this week (month?) and the articles that have referenced it so far have not called for the obvious – an increase to the base rate of income support payments. This one uses the example of a disability pensioner who also works part time being a foodbank user. This story has older pensioners and talks about them supporting extended families when they can visit the foodbanks.
I’d like to thank Dutton for his foodbank visit this week. It allowed us to point out that Foodbanks often charge for their food. (the laws vary by state). It also let us discuss the lack of nutrition in the hamper he was holding, and how while this may fill a hungry belly, it’s no good long term. Some on twitter said it was the basis of meals and that then people could get their own meats or vegetables or other “Extras” needed to make a decent meal. Friends who’ve had malnutrition on welfare promptly went to remind them that if people are needing to get free pasta, they’re not likely to have money for meat or veges or anything fun like that.
The Christmas season is upon us, and I’d like to put out there that the hampers that your local charity is giving to the needy is usually paid for by the charity. Standard cost to the local charity is $25 for a Foodbank hamper. One local place is passing on $5 of that to the recipients this year. Another place told me last year they were passing on $20 of that to those who could afford it while giving some for free. I don’t know if the $35 ones that Foodbank is directly asking for donations for are different to that or not.
So yeah, frustrated that the articles asking for Foodbank money donations don’t call for an increase in welfare payments. And that a girl can’t live off carbs alone.