Ms ADDISON (Wendouree) (19:03): My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, and the action I seek is that the minister provide me with an update on the Foodbank hub project in my community of Ballarat.

Food security has been identified as a considerable problem in the Ballarat region, and a study conducted by Monash University found that at least 12 per cent of the Ballarat population experienced some form of food insecurity. I strongly believe that no individual or family should ever have to go without a fresh healthy meal.

Despite the ongoing work of many local organisations and charities to address issues of food insecurity, they do not have the capacity to store and prepare large volumes of fresh, chilled and frozen products. This can lead to food items that are highly refined being offered rather than fresh unprocessed foods.

I am pleased that the Andrews Labor government has committed to establishing the Ballarat Foodbank hub. This facility will operate as a centralised regional warehouse, addressing the current storage bottleneck and providing the missing link between the supply of healthy foods and those experiencing food insecurity in the Ballarat region. The health benefits are well known for people who have proper access to fresh fruit and vegetables as part of their overall diet.

As well as preparing food for those most in need, the kitchen will be used as a food training facility to support community members with training and food literacy. In conjunction with the kitchen a community garden will be established to educate the community on how to utilise fresh nutritious foods and develop lifelong healthy habits. This produce will then be incorporated into the training conducted in the kitchen.

The Ballarat Foodbank hub will be a great community asset in times of crisis, and the commercial kitchen facilities will be used to provide timely food relief and support to those most in need during difficult and challenging times. It will create local employment and training opportunities with the construction and overall operation of the Ballarat hub. This will include employment pathways for priority cohorts.

I look forward to receiving the update from the Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers about this transformative project for Ballarat.

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