15 August 2022
The Greens are calling on the State Government to provide free school lunches to reduce child poverty and encourage healthy eating.
The move comes as research from Flinders University revealed 86 per cent of Australian parents surveyed supported school provided meals.
“With thousands of South Australian families living in poverty and the cost of living continuing to soar, the state government should be doing everything it can to provide relief to struggling parents,” said Greens Education Spokesperson, Robert Simms MLC.
“Free school lunches would reduce pressure on parents, improve educational outcomes and ensure that every South Australian child has access to healthy, nutritious food.”
“This measure would really help tackle growing poverty across our state. With so many families doing it tough, now really is the time for the Malinauskas Government to back a bold plan like this," said Mr Simms.
A report released by SACOSS in 2018 found that more than 22,000 South Australian children were living in poverty.
https://indaily.com.au/news/2018/08/13/inquiry-to-shine-light-on-sas-inexcusable-poverty-rate/
Ahead of the March state election, the Greens campaigned for free breakfasts and lunches in schools. https://greens.org.au/sa/platform/free-school-lunch
Schools provide lunches in Japan, Norway, France, and some parts of the United States.