A 10-year National Strategy to improve food security in remote First Nations communities has been labelled a "critical step forward" in addressing the food crisis.
Launched by federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, in Maningrida in West Arnhem Land on Wednesday, the strategy is the first nationally coordinated approach to address food insecurity and improve health outcomes for remote Indigenous communities.
"We've seen the impact of changing weather with flooding that cuts people off for weeks, if not months," Senator McCarthy said.
"We've seen bushfires that have burnt through roads and infrastructure that have disabled access for food supply chains."
Responding to the announcement, the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory commended the government, arguing their member services had long advocated for solutions to the inequality in food accessibility and affordability in communities.
"For too long, prohibitively high grocery costs and supply shortages have made healthy eating nearly impossible in many remote communities, where geographic, climate, and logistical barriers further restrict access to fresh food and essential supplies," AMSANT chief executive John Paterson said.
"This is why we also welcome the food subsidy on 30 essential items as this will provide immediate relief to communities."
Last month the government announced 30 essential items in 76 remote community stores across Australia will be the same price as in cities, and that warehouse capacity will be boosted to make remote community supply chains less vulnerable, which the NT Senator said was part of her government's focus on reducing the cost of living in remote areas of the country.
"We have committed $50 million towards subsidising at least 30 essential items in around 150 stores," Senator McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday.
"We've made that announcement, now is the plan to identify those stores across remote and regional Australia."
She said the government would work through what the items are, and where the stores are located, with each state and territory jurisdiction.
"There were consultations across the country over the last 18 months, two years, in the development of this plan. We had around 500 submissions, visited over 30 communities," Senator McCarthy said.
"So, clearly, we still have more to do in terms of now identifying those 150 stores, but I think it's a really strong body of work that our government has done with each state and territory jurisdiction."
Ailments such as heart disease, obesity and early morbidity are more prevalent in remote communities, according to health data, where life expectancy is 12.4 years less than for Indigenous Australians compared to non-Indigenous Australians.
Recognising the widespread health impacts in Indigenous communities as a direct result of food insecurity, Dr Paterson said this is not because people don't want to eat healthily, but rather because "they don't have the choice".
"We acknowledge that stores are working hard to encourage healthy food consumption, but without additional funding, there is only so much that they can do while ensuring that they are viable," he said.
Member for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour, said her government was focused on cost of living across the country, not just on the east coast.
"It's about our government being committed to addressing the cost of living and those issues in remote Aboriginal communities like we see in Maningrida, and it is about jobs," she said.
