Food security — a new inquiry for Australia

On 26 October 2022, the Australian Parliament’s Agriculture Committee commenced an inquiry into food security in Australia and is calling for submissions from interested stakeholders.

Committee Chair Meryl Swanson said that food security was a growing issue nationally and internationally, with population growth, war, weather and climate all posing risks to the availability and accessibility of food.

“While Australia was one of the most food-secure nations in the world, recent events such as the pandemic and widespread floods have shown that we cannot take anything for granted. Input shortages and disruptions to the global supply chains that Australian producers depend on are likely to have a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of the sector. More importantly, these factors will have a direct impact on the cost of living for all Australians,” Swanson said.

The Committee will examine ways to strengthen and safeguard food security in Australia. In particular, it will focus on local food production and the impact of supply chain distribution on the cost and availability of food.

The Committee is also interested in exploring the impact of climate change on food production in Australia. Swanson said that, “while climate change poses a continual risk to farmers, the Committee is keen to see how agricultural producers are adapting and innovating in response to these climate challenges”.

Submissions are open until 9 December 2022.

For more information, visit www.aph.gov.au/agriculture.

Image credit: iStock.com/Surapong Tanachotrungruang