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MISSION STATEMENT - Our Purpose & Work, Australian Defence Jobs

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MISSION STATEMENT - Our Purpose & Work, Australian Defence Jobs

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Exploring all sides of Australia Day

For many people, Australia Day is about celebrating the values, freedoms and pastimes of this country. It's a time for BBQs in the backyard, having a beer with mates, and proudly flying the Australian flag. On the surface, Australia Day seems to be about unifying all people who call Australia home, and yet ironically it's a divisive day for many. So what's all the fuss about?

What is Australia Day and why do we celebrate it?

Australia Day is a national public holiday on January 26.

On that day in 1788, 11 convict ships from Great Britain landed at what is now Port Jackson in New South Wales, where Governor Arthur Phillip raised the British flag to signal the beginning of the British colony.

Since the early days of the British colony, Sydney has marked January 26 using various names, such as Anniversary Day, First Landing Day and Foundation Day. This gradually evolved into 'Australia Day', and other states and territories officially adopted the name in 1935.

Although celebrations originally focused on the anniversary of the British occupation of New South Wales, since 1979, the federal government has promoted an Australia Day that was less British and more Australian in the hope of unifying Australia's increasingly diverse population.

Australia Day eventually became a national public holiday in 1994. According to the National Australia Day Council, it's "the day to reflect on what it means to be Australian, to celebrate contemporary Australia and to acknowledge our history".

Why is there tension surrounding Australia Day?

For many First Nations people, January 26 isn't a day for celebrating.

First Nations people may be just as proud of this country as any other Australians, but many see January 26 as a date signifying the beginning of dispossession, disease epidemics, frontier violence, destruction of culture, exploitation, abuse, separation of families and subjection to policies of extreme social control.

Consequently, some people (including many First Nations people) refer to January 26 by names such as Invasion Day, Survival Day and Day of Mourning.

Should we change the date, save the date or cancel it all together?

This question can be challenging, as there are many different perspectives from both First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians.

Saving the date means continuing to celebrate a date that's painful for many people.

Changing the date or cancelling the date doesn't address the trauma and disadvantage that started at colonisation and still affects First Nations people today.

If we simply make a choice and move on, we miss the opportunity to understand where we've come from, where we are today and where we go from here.

Learning more about our nation's shared history between First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians can help you answer this question for yourself.

Can't we all just celebrate being Australian?

You may have heard it said (or even wondered yourself), "Why are First Nations people making this an issue? After all, isn't Australia Day for all Australians to come together and celebrate?" Others see the critique of Australia Day celebrations as excessive political correctness and governments pandering to the whims of minorities.

It's true, that we should be able to come together and celebrate the things about our nation that we're proud of and grateful for. However, celebrating these things on January 26 can divide us, by marginalising and offending many First Nations people who see this date as commencing a chain of events that had disastrous consequences for many First Nations people.

The negative effects of colonisation continue to have very real impact on the lives of many First Nations people in the form of intergenerational trauma, generational poverty, health disparity, disconnection from culture, disappearance of language, family separation, social discrimination and more. Nakkiah Lui, Gamillaroi/Torres Strait Islander woman, actor and writer, explains:
"I'm an Aboriginal woman in her 20s ... but it's only four generations back that my family felt the direct consequences of foreigners invading our land. There's my great-great grandmother, who survived a massacre; my great grandfather, who was forced back to the mission after his father died and wasn't allowed to own land; my grandfather, who was given "dog tags" dictating he was an "honorary white man" after he returned from being a prisoner of war in World War II; my mother, who was encouraged to not finish high school because she was Aboriginal. This is why, for us, Australia Day is a day of mourning." Nakkiah Lui

Invasion Day, Survival Day, Day of Mourning ... what's the difference?

"There's a saying that white Australia has a black history. It can be taken in the sense that it has been a dark or unfortunate history, but it's also true in the sense that we were here first. Sometimes people think that Australia started 200 years ago with the invasion." Bryan Andy, Yorta Yorta

Invasion Day

For those who mark January 26 as 'Invasion Day', this date represents the British occupation of First Nations People's land. Invasion Day events are held across the country and often include protests and marches rejecting the celebration of Australia Day on this date, and calling for sovereignty and social justice for First Nations people. "Australia Day is 26 January, a date whose only significance is to mark the coming to Australia of the white people in 1788. It's not a date that is particularly pleasing for Aborigines." Michael Mansell, Aboriginal activist

Day of Mourning

Other people commemorate January 26 as a day of mourning, recognising the violence of the Frontier Wars, including massacres, rape and murder, as well as trauma caused by government policies of assimilation and separation, which removed many people from their lands, families and culture. The first 'Day of Mourning and Protest' was organised by pioneering Aboriginal rights activist, William Cooper, in 1938, during Sydney's 150th Anniversary celebrations. Day of Mourning protests have been held on January 26 ever since.

"On January 26 Aborigines from across the country will mourn... We will also call for the race-based celebrations of January 26 to come to a close and for a new date to be chosen, so that we can all proudly wave our flags and celebrate the wonderful country that we now share." Nala Mansell, Palawa activist, Lutruwita/Tasmania

"... I refuse to celebrate, and every Australia Day my heart is broken as I am reminded that in the eyes of many, I am not welcome on my own land." Nakkiah Lui, Gamillaroi/Torres Strait Islander woman, actor and writer

Survival Day

Some First Nations people celebrate January 26 as Survival Day, an opportunity to recognise the survival of First Nations people and culture despite colonisation and discrimination. Survival Day events include festivals celebrating First Nations culture, taking pride in First Nations people's achievements and showcasing artists and musicians. These events generally have a more positive atmosphere than Invasion Day and Day of Mourning events.

We're here to help you plan your Australia Day lesson.

Our free resources...

Spark student engagement

Are suitable for different year levels

Include interactive multi-media resources

Related curriculum resources for download

Australia Day touches on a wide range of First Nations topics. Luckily we have diverse resources designed to help you bring First Nations perspectives into the classroom throughout the year.

F-Y10 Australia Day Pride and Pain Timeline Activities

These interactive curriculum resources can help you and your students discover how January 26 can be both a source of pride and pain. They will help unpack the day's complexities and show how for many it can be extremely difficult.

"We felt self-conscious that we didn't have all the answers, but Australians together were fantastic."

Want to read more about Australia Day?

Follow the links below for a deep dive into the of January 26.

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For many people, Australia Day is about celebrating the values, freedoms and pastimes of this country. It's a time for BBQs in the backyard, having a beer with mates, and proudly flying the Australian flag. On the surface, Australia Day seems to be about unifying all people who call Australia home, and yet ironically it's a divisive day for many.

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WATCH (Clickview login): You can't ask that 'Homelessness'

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WATCH (Clickview login): You can't ask that 'Homelessness'

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You Can't Ask That asks homeless people the awkward, inappropriate or uncomfortable questions you've always wanted to know the answers to, but never had the guts to ask.

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COVID19 restrictions fuel harvest worker shortage 

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COVID19 restrictions fuel harvest worker shortage 

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For the second year in a row COVID-19 is causing headaches for grain farmers, who are begging the Federal and state governments to allow them to bring in overseas machinery drivers for this year's harvest.

Farmers are pleading to allow agricultural workers from the Northern Hemisphere to help with our summer harvest, their off season

The Federal Government is open to the idea but says states will have to agree

WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan does not think enough Australians have been vaccinated yet to allow more foreign workers in

Mic Fels, the Grains President of the WA Farmers Federation, said in years gone by Australian agriculture students helped harvest the nation's grain crop.

But he said, in recent years university timetables have not aligned with the late spring to early summer harvest season and growers have come to rely heavily on workers from Europe and the United States.

"Because the northern hemisphere harvest at a different time of the year to when we do it, it slotted in really well, we started finding a lot of experienced workers from the Northern Hemisphere off farms, quite often ag students themselves," Mr Fels said.

But last year, with borders closed thanks to COVID-19, farmers were so desperate for labour they trained stood-down pilots to drive their harvesters.

This year, they do not want to battle on again and Mic Fels has called on the state and Federal Governments to allow several thousand vaccinated workers in from the northern hemisphere.

"Mental health on farms is really deteriorating, because people have been doing this for 18 months now."

"Working seven days a week and long days, every day and ... I literally know half a dozen or so people ... who have lost fingers or parts of their hands and crushed their hands and things just through the seeding operation."

"It's always fatigue related."

"We really need a circuit-breaker, we just can't keep stretching the lacky bands."

If overseas workers were not allowed in, he said farmers would have to leave their crops in the ground until they had time to harvest them all themselves, meaning by January, yields and revenue would be down.

"Instead of being breadmaking wheat, it might become stockfeed," he said.

Call to politicians: 'Make this work'

Rod Gribble, the President of the Australian Custom Harvesters Association, who farms in the New South Wales Riverina, said it was time Australia's various governments agreed on a plan to allow more machinery workers into the country.

"The likes of [Barnaby] Joyce, [David] Littleproud have got to get onto [Scott] Morrison and give him a call and say, this is what the problem is," Mr Gribble said.

"They've got to have a talk to the Chief Medical Officer and say; 'How can we make this work?'

"And then they've got to talk to their state premiers and their Chief Medical Officers and say: 'We need to make this work.'"

If you or anyone you know needs help:

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MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said he was open to allowing more machinery drivers into the country.

"We are continuing to encourage all states and territories to bring in agricultural workers, in addition to their caps, international caps of those coming from overseas," Mr Littleproud said.

"We are happy to give the approvals, so long as their chief health officers can get comfortable with it."

Get the latest rural news

States cautious

WA's Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said she did not think enough Australians had been vaccinated to allow workers in from higher risk countries and argued Mr Littleproud was contradicting the Prime Minister's recently announced four-point plan for opening up the country.

"We're waiting now for the modeling from I believe it's the Doherty Institute that the the Prime Minister has said will guide this policy," Ms MacTiernan said.

"We can't have situations where Minister Littleproud's racing off pretending he's a different part of government."

Asked whether she thought farmers should make a back up plan, in the event overseas workers could not come in, Ms MacTiernan indicated they should.

"I think that we have to presume that certainly in October that we're not going to be there."

The New South Wales Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said he'd support any mechanism that allowed producers to access the labour they needed, while ensuring the safety of the community.

Read our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

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'Mental health is deteriorating': Farmers beg for exemption for overseas harvest workers

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For the second year in a row COVID-19 is causing headaches for grain farmers, who are begging the Federal and state governments to allow them to bring in overseas machinery drivers for this year's harvest.

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World Food Programme: A hunger catastrophe in 2022

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World Food Programme: A hunger catastrophe in 2022

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2023: Another year of extreme jeopardy for those struggling to feed their families

The scale of the current global hunger and malnutrition crisis is enormous. WFP estimates - from 79 of the countries where it works (and where data is available) - that more than 345 million people face high levels of food insecurity in 2023. That is more than double the number in 2020. This constitutes a staggering rise of 200 million people compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

More than 900,000 people worldwide are fighting to survive in catastrophic hunger/one step away from famine. This is ten times more than five years ago, an alarmingly rapid increase. An immediate response is needed.  The global community must not fail on its promise to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030.

WFP is facing multiple challenges - the number of acutely hungry people continues to increase at a pace that funding is unlikely to match, while the  cost of delivering food assistance is at an all-time high  because food and fuel prices have increased.

Unmet needs heighten the risk of hunger and malnutrition. Unless the necessary resources are made available,  lost lives and the reversal of hard-earned development gains  will be the price to pay.

The causes of hunger and famine

But why is the world  hungrier than ever?

This seismic hunger crisis has been caused by a deadly combination of factors.

Conflict is still the biggest driver of hunger, with 70 percent of the world's hungry people living in areas afflicted by war  and violence. Events in Ukraine are further proof of how conflict feeds hunger - forcing people out of their homes, wiping out their sources of income and wrecking countries' economies.

The climate crisis is one of the leading causes of the steep rise in global hunger.  Climate shocks destroy lives, crops and livelihoods, and undermine people's ability to feed themselves.  Hunger will spiral out of control if the world fails to take immediate climate action.

Global fertilizer prices have climbed even faster than food prices, which remain at a ten-year high themselves. The effects of the war in Ukraine, including higher natural gas prices, have further disrupted global fertilizer production and exports - reducing supplies, raising prices and threatening to reduce harvests.  High fertilizer prices could turn the current food affordability crisis into a food availability crisis, with production of maize, rice, soybean and wheat all falling in 2022.

Costs are also at an all-time high: WFP's monthly operating costs are US$73.6 million above their 2019 average - a staggering 44 percent rise.  The extra now spent on operating costs would have previously fed 4 million people for one month. In countries including Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen, WFP is already faced with hard decisions, including cutting rations to be able to reach more people. This is tantamount to taking from the hungry to feed the starving.

From the Central American Dry Corridor and Haiti, through the Sahel, Central African Republic, South Sudan and then eastwards to the Horn of Africa, Syria, Yemen and all the way to Afghanistan,  conflict and climate shocks are driving millions of people to the brink of starvation.

Last year, the world rallied extraordinary resources - a record-breaking US$14 billion for WFP alone - to tackle the unprecedented global food crisis. In countries like Somalia, which has been  teetering on the brink of famine, the international community came together and managed to pull people back. But it is not sufficient to only keep people alive. We need to go further, and  this can only be achieved by addressing the underlying causes of hunger.

The consequences of not investing in resilience activities will reverberate across borders. If communities are not empowered to withstand shocks and stresses, this could result in  increased migration and possible destabilization and conflict. Recent history has shown us this: when WFP ran out of funds to feed Syrian refugees in 2015, they had no choice but to leave the camps and seek help elsewhere, causing one of the  greatest refugee crises in recent European history.

WFP's changing lives work helps to build human capital, support governments in strengthening social protection programmes, stabilize communities in particularly precarious places, and help them to better survive sudden shocks without losing all their assets.

In just four years of the  Sahel Resilience Scale-up, WFP and local communities turned 158,000 hectares of barren fields in the Sahel region of five African countries into farm and grazing land.  Over 2.5 million people benefited from integrated activities. Evidence shows that people are better equipped to withstand seasonal shocks and have improved access to vital natural resources like land they can work.  Families and their homes, belongings and fields are better protected against climate hazards.  Support serves as a buffer to instability by bringing people together, creating social safety nets, keeping lands productive and offering job opportunities - all of which help to break the cycle of hunger.

As a further example, WFP's flagship microinsurance programme - the R4 Rural Resilience initiative -  protects around 360,000 farming and pastoralist families from climate hazards that threaten crops and livelihoods  in 14 countries including Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guatemala, Kenya, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

At the same time, WFP is working with governments in 83 countries to boost or build  national safety nets and nutrition-sensitive social protection, allowing us to reach more people than we can with emergency food assistance.

Humanitarian assistance alone is not enough though. A  coordinated effort across governments, financial institutions, the private sector and partners is the only way to mitigate an even more severe crisis in 2023.  Good governance is a golden thread that holds society together, allowing human capital to grow, economies to develop and people to thrive.

The world also needs deeper political engagement to reach zero hunger.  Only political will can end conflict in places like Yemen, Ethiopia and South Sudan, and without a firm political commitment to contain global warming as stipulated in the  Paris Agreement, the main drivers of hunger will continue unabated.

In 2023, hunger levels are higher than ever before

Learn how WFP's response is making a difference in the lives of millions of people worldwide

Read more

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A global food crisis | World Food Programme

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The scale of the current global hunger and malnutrition crisis is enormous. WFP estimates - from 79 of the countries where it works (and where data is available) - that more than 345 million people face high levels of food insecurity in 2023. That is more than double the number in 2020.

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How much does it cost to equip an Australian soldier? 

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How much does it cost to equip an Australian soldier? 

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Why we celebrate Australia Day on January 26 

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Why we celebrate Australia Day on January 26 

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January 26 - it's one of Australia's most divisive days. And while there are differing interpretations of what it means to celebrate it, the origin of the date is indisputable.

January 26 - it's one of Australia's most divisive days.

For some, our national holiday means little more than a day off, a BBQ, copious amounts of alcohol and soaking up the last real moments of summer.

But for Indigenous Australians, Australia Day is not cause for a pool party or First Fleet re-enactment, but for mourning. Invasion Day marks the dispossession of our first people - who continue to suffer the effects of colonisation and racism.

And as an increasing number of Aussies come to acknowledge this - and join the call to change the date, or abolish it entirely - it begs the question why we bother to celebrate January 26 at all.
What's the significance behind Australia Day?
While there are differing interpretations of what it means to celebrate on January 26, the historical origin of the date is indisputable.

At its base level, Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet, 224 years ago, at Port Jackson.
January 26 is not a day for celebration - that's why news.com.au is campaigning to change the date of Australia Day, so we can celebrate the best country in the world, without leaving anyone behind.
Some of the Fleet - comprised of 11 ships, aboard which were more than 1480 men, women and children - actually arrived at Botany Bay more than a week before, on January 18, 1788. Having found Botany Bay was not as bountiful in freshwater and fertile soil as explorer Captain James Cook had suggested, the ships decided to move north to Sydney Cove.

"Arthur Phillip arrived at Sydney Cove and raised the national flag of the United Kingdom on January 26, 1788. In doing so, he founded the colony of New South Wales and, at the same time, commenced the dispossession and marginalisation of Indigenous people," Kungarakan Elder and University of Canberra chancellor, Professor Tom Calma, wrote for The Conversation in 2018.

Despite the Proclamation of NSW Governor Richard Bourke in 1835, implementing the legal principle of terra nullius ("land belonging to no one") as the basis for British settlement, Australia was inhabited long before the arrival of the First Fleet - Indigenous people had been living on the continent for tens of thousands of years prior.

For Indigenous Australians, the raising of the Union Jack in 1788 marked the beginning of decades of massacres, land theft, stolen children and oppression.

"Today, Indigenous peoples are still recovering from the chain of events that were set in motion on that day in 1788," Prof Calma explained.

"The ongoing impact can be seen in disturbing rates of Indigenous incarceration and the growing overrepresentation of Indigenous child in out-of-home care, to give just two of many examples."
Has Australia Day always been observed on January 26?
The origins of celebrating Australia Day on January 26 don't actually date back that far.

The occasion was initially referred to as "First Landing Day" or "Foundation Day" and early settlers held anniversary dinners to commemorate it. But the holiday was still quite a NSW-centric occasion and other states had their own holidays - until 1888, when "Anniversary Day", as it was then known, was a holiday in all capital cities except Adelaide.

Even at this stage, there were reservations about celebrating this day as many thought NSW's convict origins were better left in the past. The NSW governor Henry Parkes also recognised the day was a reminder to Indigenous Australians of how they had been "robbed".

So it wasn't always an obvious choice for Australia's national day.

After the Commonwealth of Australia was founded in 1901, there was renewed interest in setting a foundational holiday, with the Australian Natives Association trying to find a suitable date.

Empire Day was first introduced on May 24, 1905 to commemorate the late Queen Victoria's birthday and as recognition of the strength of imperial ties.

The first "Australia Day" was actually held on July 30, 1915 to raise funds for the World War I effort.

Only in 1935 did all states and territories adopted use of the name "Australia Day" and agreed to mark the occasion on January 26.

It then took until the 1940s for Australia to get its national holiday in place and it wasn't until 1984 that the National Australia Day Committee was federally funded.

By the 1960s, the day became "a means of promoting Australian identity and social cohesion in a society in which non-British immigration was increasing quickly", University of Sydney historian, Professor Mark McKenna, explained in The Conversation in 2012.

And since the early 1990s, Australia Day took "on a much greater importance" and there was "less division and criticism, and a more popular, enthusiastic embrace of the day".
Will we ever change the date?
While many Australians argue that we have much to celebrate about this country, it shouldn't come at the expense of our First Nations peoples.

"As the history books indicate, January 26 festivities were initiated to mark the arrival of the first British colonists and the establishment of a British colony on the east coast of Australia," Prof Calma noted.

"This history involves a period of conflict that continued until the 1960s, as well as government policies of assimilation, separation and dispossession. During this time, many Indigenous people were removed from their traditional lands, and stopped from practising their language and culture."

Refusing to change the date, he pointed out, "positions European settlement as the primary source of national identity and pride".

"In doing so, it ignores more than 60,000 years of pre-colonial history and 230 years of multicultural migration to Australia," Prof Calma added.

"By changing the date, Australia can show that it is ready to truly accept and include Indigenous histories, cultures and contributions as a valued part of the Australian story."

As Kamilaroi man and Channel 9 sports journalist, Jake Duke, told Clothing the Gap, "there are many other options that would be far more unifying and inclusive" than January 26.

"Even if the date is a floating one every year - the same way Easter or the Melbourne Cup is decided. I still think it should remain in January so that people can enjoy a public holiday in summer and celebrate all the things that are great about being Australian," he added.

"I would also like to see January 26 marked as a far more sombre occasion. A day to reflect on the dark parts of our history, so we can move forward together as a nation."

Read related topics: Change the Date

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kungkaran elder and university of canberra

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January 26 - it's one of Australia's most divisive days. And while there are differing interpretations of what it means to celebrate it, the origin of the date is indisputable. January 26 - it's one of Australia's most divisive days.

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Mission Australia: Why are people homeless?

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Mission Australia: Why are people homeless?

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Homelessness can affect anyone, triggered by a range of circumstances that are outside of our control.

But first, what is homelessness?

Homelessness is a defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as a lack of suitable accommodation alternatives. It is a problem in our communities that goes beyond 'rooflessness' and a lack of access to safe shelter. The experience of homelessness includes vulnerable people living in temporary accommodation, caravan parks or in their cars.

While homelessness is a complex issue that can affect men, women and children from various backgrounds, here are three leading causes of homelessness in our communities:

1. Domestic and family violence can lead to homelessness

Domestic and family violence- a form of violent, abusive or bullying behaviour -can force many women and children to leave their homes, often with no support and nowhere else to go.

In 2021-22, around 108,000 people who experienced domestic and family violence also required support from a specialist homelessness service. Of those people, 75% were females. ¹

Dee*, a mother of two young children informed her GP of domestic and family violence after four years of marriage to her husband. Her GP connected her with a domestic and family violence support service, which immediately referred her to one of Mission Australia's housing services. With the help of staff, Dee was able to remove herself from the violent relationship and find refuge in a temporary accommodation managed by Mission Australia Housing.

Domestic and family violence is also a major contributor to youth homelessness in Australia. In 2019, Mission Australia's Youth Survey Report report found that one in six young people who responded to the survey said they had experienced some form of homelessness. ²

Without the proper care and support, young people may become involved with substance abuse and can face long-term homelessness. For thousands of women and young people in similar situations as Dee or Tim, facing homelessness can feel safer than living in a home where domestic and family violence is a reality.

2. Mental health is interrelated to homelessness

Mental illness and the experience of being homeless are often interrelated, affecting an individual's self-confidence, ability to attain employment or sustain their tenancy. In 2021-22, around 82,500 people with a current mental health condition received support from a specialist homelessness service. Just under half of these people experienced homelessness and around 12% had nowhere to sleep. ³

In Richard's* case, a redundancy from his position at a government organisation had a significant impact on his mental health. The 62-year-old faced severe anxiety and re-entering the workforce proved more difficult than he imagined. Without an income, Richard couldn't keep up with rental. When a Mission Australia homelessness service first met him, he was sleeping rough in the laundry of an apartment block. Read more about different experiences of homelessness in Australia.

The link between mental health and homelessness is also apparent in young people. In Australia, in 2021-22, around 48% of young people who received help from a specialist homelessness service also faced a current mental health issue. ⁴

3. Sudden life changes can trigger homelessness

No one is immune to homelessness. Unexpected changes in circumstances can trigger experiences of homelessness. Life events such as the death of a loved one, sudden job loss or relationship breakdowns can expose people to a chain of events that results in homelessness.

For thousands of Australians, the risk of losing their home is only one pay slip away. The high cost of rental housing combined with the lack of affordable housing options, particularly for low income earners, can force many families and individuals out of their homes with no place to live.

When the pandemic hit Australia, the financial disruption and interruptions to businesses and livelihoods was unexpected.

Identifying the leading causes of homelessness can help us break the cycle of homelessness in Australia. With a regular donation or one-off gift to Mission Australia, you can help us end homelessness and support people in need to thrive.

Learn more about  homelessness  in Australia and how you can help.

¹ AIHW Specialist homelessness services annual report 2021-22
² Mission Australia (2020): Staying home: A Youth Survey report on young people's experience of homelessness 2019
3 AIHW Specialist homelessness services annual report 2021-22
⁴ AIHW Specialist homelessness services annual report 2021-22

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2019), Specialist Homelessness Services annual report 2018-19

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Three leading causes of homelessness in Australia

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Homelessness can affect anyone, triggered by a range of circumstances that are outside of our control. But first, what is homelessness? Homelessness is a defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as a lack of suitable accommodation alternatives. It is a problem in our communities that goes beyond 'rooflessness' and a lack of access to safe shelter.

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United Nations: Education is key to addressing climate change

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United Nations: Education is key to addressing climate change

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Through education, students will be able to participate in conversations about their future.

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Farmers fight for flood disaster relief grants

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Farmers fight for flood disaster relief grants

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A clause designed to "stop wealthy Pitt St farmers" from accessing emergency aid is preventing others desperately in need of help, critics say.

Some farmers whose properties were hit by the NSW Northern Rivers catastrophic floods last month and now battling more floods are still fighting to access $75,000 primary producer disaster grants.

Tony and Lindy Margan want the government to scrap the eligibility criteria for the $75,000 disaster grants

Om and Savita Jhorar estimate a combined home and farm loss of more than $600,000 from the floods

The Australian Macadamia Society says $25,000 flood recovery grants 'barely scratches the surface'

Under state and federal government disaster recovery funding arrangements, the grants are available through state authorities to primary producers who meet a set of criteria, including deriving the majority of their income from primary production.

Monaltrie beef producers Tony and Linda Margan's flood damage bill is estimated at $100,000, but they cannot access the grant due to the income they earn other than from the farm - known as off-farm income.

"Agriculture's great, but unless you've got a very big farm, and that's a really expensive proposition in this valley, you can't earn enough money off your farm, especially not many years ago. It was $1.40 a kilo for cattle," said Mr Margan.

Their historic dairy bales washed down the Wilsons River. They lost a cattle crush, pumps, fences, and pasture, a three-year setback without any support.

The 50 per cent on farm income is an eligibility requirement that farmers, industry bodies and politicians have long called to be changed to no avail.

Labor MP for Lismore Janelle Saffin said many farmers she knew in the region needed to derive income off-farm.

"It can be cruel, you're told your eligible and then you run into that brick wall straight away," she said.

"I'm asking, asking the government please for this event, exceptional circumstances, just relax these criteria."

The $75,000 Category D grants are jointly funded by the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said he had asked for the criteria to be changed every time there was a natural disaster.

"I think it's very unfair a lot of our farmers don't qualify for this. Even if their income 20 or 30 per cent is on farm, I think they deserve that," he said.

Mr Hogan said the rule was designed to prevent "Pitt Street farmers" from claiming for damaged fences on farms they earnt nothing from.

Despite the calls for the criteria to be changed, the government has refused to budge, instead offering $25,000 for those rural landholders with a majority of off-farm income.

Tony Margan said while the $25,000 is better than zero, he felt the government was still discriminating against smaller farmers.

"If I were set up as a company instead of a sole trader, I'd have all my income just from the cattle and all my expenses against the cattle, and I'd qualify for the $75,000," he said.

Macadamia orchard hammered

Om and Savita Jhorar have been in emergency accommodation since being rescued by boat from their flooded Woodburn home.

"Our nightmare was thinking that had we slept, we wouldn't have been woken up until morning. What would have happened then," he said.

Replacing 6,000 dead macadamia trees in the orchard and nursery, 100 custard apple trees, and the destroyed machinery, irrigation, pumps, and fences will likely cost $400,000.

"I had my little macadamia nursery, and the plants were ready to go in the farm, but everything washed away," Mrs Jhorar said.

The couple said they needed government assistance to rebuild, but because they were yet to produce a farm income, they were ineligible.

"I fall in that bracket where I don't have my main income from the farm, and the reason being that macadamias are such that they take a long time in bearing, and you have to wait until then," Mr Jhorar said.

The Australian Macadamia Society CEO Jolyon Burnett said for the first five to seven years of establishing an orchard, "there's no way you can earn an income" from it, so you need off-farm income.

"Many growers who have more than 50 per cent of their income coming from off-farm sources have suffered just as much if not more damage than others," he said.

"It's this lack of alignment between the damage suffered by growers and their access to government support that is meant to get them back on their feet that is the frustrating issue.

"The extent of this flood means that that $75,000 could have gone a significant way but the $25,000 will barely scratch the edges."

New producers without the required farm income could be eligible for the $75,000 grant under clause 3.3 if they can demonstrate a projected income within a three-to-eight-year period.

Mr Burnett said the provision is new and probably a little early to tell whether it will work.

"We've had no growers who have been able to use that provision and get access yet that we're aware of," he said.

The NSW Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) said applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine if primary producers are eligible for the $75,000 grant under clause 3.3.

"Clause 3.3 allows primary producers in industries with long lead times the ability to claim for the Special Disaster Grant, assuming they meet all the other criteria," a spokesperson said.

"Under the guidelines for the grant, the lead time for the majority of industries, including livestock farming, cropping and aquaculture, is up to three years, but for industries with a longer time frame, such as horticulture, may have a longer lead time of up to eight years."

The RAA said it takes advice from DPI industry technical specialists to determine appropriate and realistic lead times for industries.

Get the latest rural news

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Farmers have to fight for flood disaster grants due to clause meant to 'stop access by wealthy Pitt St farmers'

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Some farmers whose farms have been destroyed by catastrophic floods are struggling to access $75,000 recovery grants because of the eligibility criteria.

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ABC Article: 1 in 5 Australian children go hungry

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ABC Article: 1 in 5 Australian children go hungry

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One in every five Australian children has gone hungry in the past 12 months according to a new report, with some even resorting to chewing paper to try to feel full.

The survey of 1,000 parents commissioned by Foodbank shows 22 per cent of Australian children under the age of 15 live in a household that has run out of food at some stage over the past year.

One in five kids affected go to school without eating breakfast at least once a week, while one in 10 go a whole day at least once a week without eating anything at all.

"I think that's a very sad indictment on us as a society," Foodbank Victoria chief executive Dave McNamara said.

"The most vulnerable in our community - our children, our future - are suffering and I don't think that's right, I don't think anyone thinks that's right."

Chewing paper to feel full

Mr McNamara said the report showed more children were going hungry in Australia than adults.

What the Rumbling Tummies report says:

One in five children have gone hungry at some stage in the past year

Of those, 18 per cent go to school without eating breakfast at least once a week

11 per cent go to bed without eating dinner at least once a week

9 per cent go all day without eating at least once a week

29 per cent of parents facing food stress often go without so their kids can eat

Source: Rumbling Tummies: Child Hunger in Australia (Foodbank)
"We've heard stories of kids turning up with packets of chips and coke [to school], that was their breakfast and lunch," he said.

"Some kids were eating paper. Their parents had told them, 'There's not enough food, if you get hungry you'll need to chew paper'.

"This isn't made-up. This is a story we heard setting up one of our school breakfast programs down in Lakes Entrance, which is a beautiful part of the country.

"No-one's spared. It's not people on the street; it's people in your street. It's in every community across Australia."

Collin Peebles, chief executive of the Geelong Food Relief Centre, said demand had exploded for services over the past three years.

"Only recently we had a seven-year-old girl walk into the Food Bank on a Thursday afternoon, she hadn't eaten anything for five days," he said.

He said mortgage stress and the cost of living were driving families to use foodbanks for the first time.

A mother's struggle to put food on the table

Louise Holland knows first hand what it is like to constantly worry about not having enough food to feed her children.

The former nurse, from Sydenham in Melbourne's north-west, took time out of the workforce to care for her ill husband five years ago.

He died in 2016, leaving her as the sole carer for her four children.

Once the family's savings were gone, it became harder and harder to make ends meet.

"We would eat low-grade mincemeat, sausages ... anything that was filling but that was cheap," she said.

"Sometimes the kids would go to school with no lunch. There would always be something on the table at night, but it might not have been as nutritious as it should have been."

Sometimes things got so bad, Ms Holland and her eldest son, Nathan, 20, would not eat.

"We thought as long as the younger ones were fed, that was the main thing," she said.

It was not until January this year that she decided to seek support, turning to the Helping Hands food pantry in Melbourne's Airport West.

Families are allowed to access 20 kilograms of fresh food and pantry staples a week, for a gold coin donation.

"It was an incredibly hard step to take," she said through tears.

"No-one wants to admit they're not coping, I'm a very proud person. But I'd just tell anyone who is struggling to put food on the table - get help. It is out there."

High demand for help to feed families

Melanie Kent established the Helping Hands charity in 2007, initially to help drought-affected people in rural Victoria.

She now runs three food pantries in Airport West, Sunshine and near Bendigo, and demand is unprecedented.

Ms Kent said 600 families used the food pantry service every week, the majority of them women and children.

"There's fresh food and healthy food here for people, but sometimes it's also important for people to be able to have a treat," Ms Kent said.

"I had one mum come to me and she said, 'You know, I've been able to pick up things from your pantry like muesli bars'.

"She said 'because of you, my kids don't know that we're poor'.

"So it's important for different reasons for different people."

Rising living costs hurting children

The report found parents living in poverty would often go without so their children would have something to eat.

Thirty-six per cent said they would skip a meal at least once a week so their children could eat, while 29 per cent would go a whole day at least once a week without eating at all.

The report found the main reason parents were struggling to feed their children was the cost of living, including mortgage or rent costs and utilities.

Mr McNamara said governments needed to address the problem.

"We need to look housing affordability ... utility costs, we need to look at private health care, we need to look at minimum wage: what's not just a minimum wage, but a liveable wage," he said.

"Then on the other side of things we need to help the families who are currently suffering through this issue, so that means that the welfare sector needs to be properly resourced.

"As a community we need to say this isn't right, we're not going to stand for this, we need to change and fix it."

The Foodbank 'Rumbling Tummies: Child Hunger in Australia' report was carried out by McCrindle.

It surveyed 1,002 Australian parents with children under the age of 15 and a further 602 parents living in food insecure households.

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One in five Aussie children are regularly missing meals, report finds

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One in five Australian children has gone hungry in the past 12 months, with some going the whole day without eating, and others even resorting to chewing on paper to feel full, a report finds.

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Australian military assists rescue efforts in natural disasters

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Australian military assists rescue efforts in natural disasters

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Watch: Aboriginal people respond to Australia Day

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Watch: Aboriginal people respond to Australia Day

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Aboriginal People Respond To “Australia Day”

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What is Dehumanization and How Does it Create Homelessness?

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What is Dehumanization and How Does it Create Homelessness?

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"The self-regulatory mechanisms governing moral conduct do not come into play unless they are activated, and there are many psychosocial maneuvers by which moral self-sanctions are selectively disengaged from inhumane conduct. The moral disengagement may center on the cognitive restructuring of inhumane conduct into a benign or worthy one by moral justification, sanitizing language, and advantageous comparison; disavowal of a sense of personal agency by diffusion or displacement of responsibility; disregarding or minimizing the injurious effects of one 's actions; and attribution of blame to, and dehumanization of those who are victimized." An excerpt from Albert Bandura's Personality and Social Psychology Review
On any given night, millions of people have no safe place to sleep. We know the number is in the millions as opposed to the hundreds of thousands reflected through Point in Time Counts. Tragically, the reason we know this is because teachers across the nation have counted 2.5 million homeless school children. This means that even if we only counted those children, the number of homeless people in the United States would escalate well into the millions.

Homelessness is not an accident, nor is it a moral failure. It is the direct result of extreme wealth inequality, which manifests through things like:

Lack of affordable housing

Stagnant wages

Lack of affordable healthcare and more

The Harsh Reality is Homelessness Can Only Exist through Dehumanization

Empathy is the natural state of most people. As such, the only way that homelessness could exist is by way of dehumanization. Through rhetoric, we have been cognitively conditioned to accept unthinkable living conditions for select individuals within our own society.

Time Magazine reporter Nancy Gibbs described our national shock expressed at the recent siege on Capitol Hill in the following words:
"a failure of moral imagination, of grasping what people are capable of."
I believe this to be true regarding the dehumanization of homeless people as well. We've been taught to believe that modern-day America is the epitome of moral compassion. When this modernist mentality works in tandem with our toxic brand of capitalism, we are able to witness gruesome, horrifying crimes against humanity, only to convince ourselves that these evils simply do not exist.

If we were truly honest with ourselves, we'd accept the fact that homelessness could not exist without dehumanization. Study after study continues to prove that the public perceives homeless people as possessing "no redeeming qualities". One need only glance down at the scrolling scoreboard that is social media in order to see users refer to members of the homeless population as:

Dehumanization in the digital age is such a pressing issue that in December of 2020, Twitter introduced " humanization prompts " to test our level of compassion when we are reminded that the person on the other end of the screen is, in fact, a human like ourselves.

Far Too Many Social Justice Advocates See Humanization as Inhumane

The internet is abuzz with causes, too many for any one person to support. When people suggest anti-racism campaigns, these demands are met with rallies of support. The same is true of other anti-discrimination movements. But, as soon as someone brings up the idea of "humanization" as a campaign to counter dehumanization, the suggestion is shouldered, shutdown, even heavily criticized.

I suspect it's because we refuse to believe that our modern-day, technologically advanced society is capable of subconsciously categorizing specific members of the human race as sub-human. But if that were true, if the public genuinely believed that human beings were:

we'd see protests and rallies rivaling other social justice movements.

These atrocities could never exist if the general population saw homeless people for who they are... people.

Oppression and Marginalization Can Exist Without Dehumanization

Herein lies an important paradox. It's possible that the reason many housing advocates fail to recognize dehumanization and its role in perpetuating homelessness is that there are other groups who experience discrimination without dehumanization. A good example of this is the 55 and over population. This ever-growing group of citizens might find themselves discriminated against in one or more of the following situations:

When applying for employment

When attempting to rent a home

In social settings (particularly settings where technology is present, such as a younger person assuming a senior is unable to operate a smartphone or POS system)

As such, this group can be discriminated against and that discrimination can have long-term consequences, but they are still not stripped of their status as members of the human race. That said, just because discrimination can exist without dehumanization doesn't mean it always does. There are plenty of examples throughout history where dehumanization was used as the main tool with which to normalize oppression.

In the examples below, dehumanization was necessary in order to create a setting where exceptionally barbaric acts would not only be tolerated, but would also seem justified.

Dehumanization Throughout History

Possibly the most famous example of the tactic can be found in the history of the Holocaust. During this infamous time, Nazis referred to members of the Jewish community as rats. During the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, it was common for colonizers to refer to African American captives as half human, half ape. Some even went so far as to construct horrifying " human zoos " around the concept. The aftereffects of these incidents are still heavily steeped in American culture.

Author David Livingston Smith concisely explains the phenomenon of dehumanization in the following quote:
"It's what opens the door for cruelty and genocide." He further expands on this topic by claiming it, "allows human beings to overcome the very deep and natural inhibitions they have against treating other people like game animals or vermin or dangerous predators."
A Study Released by Colleagues at Invisible People Shows that Support for the Homeless Population Has Grown as a Result of the Pandemic, but Many People Still Hold Largely Negative, Dehumanizing Views

When researching the topic, an overwhelming 79% of people cited what they see on television or on the streets in their cities as their main source of information regarding the homeless community. As a result:

54%-61% of participants associated homeless people with the word "danger"

70%-77% associated homeless people with the word "drugs"

52%-58% associated homeless people with the word "crime"

40% to 47% associated homeless people with the word "nuisance"

The overwhelming majority associated homeless people with the word "mental illness"

When you consider the fact that lack of affordable housing remains the leading cause of homelessness, you must conclude that these perceptions are the result of misinformation coming from the press and people in authority. What would people in power have to gain from dehumanizing the poor? Well, one thing is certain - they can continue to ignore the ever-burgeoning homeless crisis, even now as 30-40 million renters face the threat of eviction in the very near future.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Homelessness Has to Exist in America

Our current infrastructure illustrates the fact that homelessness is a system failure, but certainly not an accidental one. The running tally on affordable housing in America estimates that we're short 7 million homes. With that statistic in mind, it's clear to see how dehumanizing the homeless population behooves people in power. Under current zoning regulations and construction restrictions, homelessness has to exist. The only thing they can control is the way in which the general public perceives it.
This is why a counter-campaign is imperative to ending the crisis.
Talk to your representatives about the current state of homelessness and their plans to create non-punitive solutions.

Cynthia Griffith

Cynthia Griffith is a freelance writer dedicated to social justice and environmental issues.

Join the campaign to end homelessness by supporting the only newsroom focused solely on the topic of homelessness. Our original reporting - posted five to seven days a week - can also be found on Apple News and Google News. Through storytelling, education, news, and advocacy, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.

Invisible People is a nonprofit organization. We rely on the support of friends like you - people who understand that well-written, carefully researched stories can change minds about this issue. And that's what leads to true transformation and policy change. Our writers have their fingers on the pulse of homeless communities. Many are formerly or currently homeless themselves. They are the real experts, passionate about ending homelessness. Your support helps us tell the true story of this crisis and solutions that will end it. Your donations help make history by telling the real story of homelessness to inspire tangible actions to end it.
Your donation, big or small, will help bring real change.

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What Is Dehumanization And How Does It Create Homelessness? - Invisible People

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Homelessness is not an accident or a moral failure. It's a direct result of extreme wealth inequality and exists only through dehumanization.

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Climate change means Australia must adapt its farming practices

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Climate change means Australia must adapt its farming practices

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The findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggest Australia may have to jettison tracts of the bush unless there is a massive investment in climate-change adaptation and planning.

The potential impacts of climate change on employment and the livability of the regions have not been adequately considered. Even if emissions are curtailed, Australia likely faces billions of dollars of adaptation costs for rural communities.

As the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (published last month) makes clear, the climate will change regardless of any mitigation actions taken now.

Even under its modest conservative projections, worldwide temperatures will rise by 1.5℃. That may not sound like much, but it will double the frequency of droughts - from once every 10 years to once every five.

Worse still, a 2℃ temperature rise - also a likely outcome without substantial emission reductions - will make droughts 2.5 times more frequent.

Read more: IPCC says Earth will reach temperature rise of about 1.5℃ in around a decade. But limiting any global warming is what matters most

Farm profits are falling

Climate change is already hurting Australian farmers. Compared with historical averages, agricultural profits have f allen 23% over the 20 years to 2020. This trend will continue.

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) predicts a likely scenario is that overall farm profit will fall by 13% by 2050. There will be significant differences between regions. Cropping profits in Western Australia, for example, are predicted to drop 32%.
Effect of 2001-2020 seasonal conditions on farm profit
With higher emissions, the reductions will be worse. Estimates of the fall in farm profits range from 11% to 50%.

These changes go beyond the cycles of weather with which Australian farmers have always had to cope. Inconsistent water supplies, increased natural disasters and greater production risks will render agricultural production in many areas uneconomic.

Due to these climatic changes agricultural assets, both land and infrastructure, could become virtually worthless - so-called stranded assets.

No future without water

Vibrant regional communities aren't just about farms. They are interdependent networks of businesses, towns, public infrastructure and people.

The effect of falls in farm income will ripple throughout these communities. Lower output will mean fewer jobs. If farms close, so will other regional businesses, leading to more stranded assets. Those affected could face displacement along with an inability to sell their homes and businesses.

And of course these communities can't survive without water.

So far development planning in Australia has not adequately considered the potential impacts of the climate on livability, especially in rural communities. This failure to account for climate change exacerbates the potential for stranded assets.

For example, the NSW Auditor General reported in September 2020 that the state government had "not effectively supported or overseen town water infrastructure planning in regional NSW since at least 2014". This contributed during the intense drought of 2019 to at least ten regional NSW cities or towns coming close to "zero" water.

Read more: Helping farmers in drought distress doesn't help them be the best

Population pressures

In some areas these water problems are being compounded by population growth.

Consider, for instance, the NSW townships surrounding Canberra. In January 2020 the town of Braidwood (about halfway between Canberra and Batemans Bay) had to start trucking in water when its own water source, the Shoalhaven river, stopped flowing. Yet nearby Bungedore (about 50 km away) is building a new high school due to population growth.

This "tree-change" trend, with people leaving cities in search of a better lifestyle and more affordable housing, is widespread. It appears to have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, with figures showing net internal migration of people out of Sydney and Melbourne.

More investment in adaptation needed

There is an urgent need for a comprehensive assessment by all levels of government of risks to livelihoods in agriculture and regional communities, and of the default risk on stranded assets.

Budget projections need to account for climate-change adaptation and economic structural change.

In last year's budget the federal government committed to investing A$20 billion "to ensure Australia is leading the way in the adoption of new low-emissions technologies while supporting jobs and strengthening our economy".

As important as this is, we must start planning and spending on adaptation.

Read more: Australian farmers are adapting well to climate change, but there's work ahead

The A$1.2 billion over five years the federal budget allocated for natural disasters is just the beginning. In some regions changed farming practices, subsidised insurance and investment in water infrastructure may be enough. But proper infrastructure takes many years to plan, and to build.

Some areas are going to become unviable. We will need deal with the loss of entire communities, and internal climate refugees.

It is time to start budgeting for the costs of living with climate change, not just the costs of cutting emissions.

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Climate change means Australia may have to abandon much of its farming

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The findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggest Australia may have to jettison tracts of the bush unless there is a massive investment in climate-change adaptation and planning. The potential impacts of climate change on employment and the livability of the regions have not been adequately considered.

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Foodbank asked to provide school lunches to help hungry kids as living costs soar (2022)

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Foodbank asked to provide school lunches to help hungry kids as living costs soar (2022)

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A South Australian charity supplying schools with breakfast provisions for students has been approached to extend its program to include a dedicated lunch service.

Cost of living pressures has seen South Australian families turn increasingly to charities for support

Aid organisation Foodbank has experienced a significant increase in demand for its food support programs

Some schools have asked Foodbank to extend its services to school lunches

Aid organisation Foodbank South Australia provides a breakfast program to about 500 schools across the state. Along with cereal, bread, spreads and milk, the food relief charity supplies fresh fruit for schools to place in classrooms and common areas.

Foodbank South Australia chief executive Greg Pattinson said there were increasing calls from schools using the service to extend its program to lunches, as increased living costs meant parents struggled to fill children's lunch boxes.

"In the past, schools had requested some extra bread or fruit and vegetables for the kids to eat," he said.

"This is the first time that we're actually starting to see people saying, 'what can you do?'. What can you provide us for lunch programs?

"The demand for our school breakfast programs has increased ... and the schools that are already on the existing school program have asked for additional amounts of food, so that they can start providing lunches to the children who are going without."

Demand for breakfast club increases

Pastoral care worker at Mount Gambier North Primary School Meg Malseed runs the school's Breakfast Club with food provided by Mount Gambier's Foodbank.

The club has about 15 to 25 kids and operates three days a week.

Ms Molseed said she has also noticed an increase in the number of children using the service recently.

"There's been maybe a 10-per-cent increase," she said.

"We [also] have a lot of kids through that don't have lunch, so we do a lot of toasted sandwiches and things like that at lunchtime as well."

Parents battling financial insecurity

Katie* lives in the Limestone Coast, one of the state's most fertile and agriculturally productive regions.

Despite the abundance of food grown in the region, the working mother of three has struggled to pay for the family's essentials over the past 12 months.

"I feel embarrassed that we haven't been able to afford a basic shop ... It's meant that I am just having toast for dinner or skipping meals so that [my children can] have what little we have to eat," she said.

"My son doesn't always understand why some kids get a full lunch box and theirs is sometimes a little empty."

Katie said that her financial situation has made her feel as though she was failing as a parent, and like many people struggling to make ends meet she has found it hard to talk about the difficulties she faced providing for her children.

"I've always believed it's my responsibility to make sure my kids are fed and looked after, no-one else's," she said.

"But over the past year, I've had to swallow my pride and accept help ... I now also know I am not alone in my struggles."

Manufacturers feel financial squeeze

Across the sector, Australian food and grocery manufacturers have faced financial pressures that are beginning to be passed on to consumers at the supermarket shelves.

Australian Food and Grocery Council chief executive Tanya Barden said the costs had previously been absorbed by food manufacturers but that was no longer possible.

"The cost of shipping ingredients and finished goods to Australia has risen by 500 to 700 per cent," she said.

"There have also been significant costs to business as a result of COVID safety measures, domestic freight cost increases caused by weather disruptions, shortages of pallets and rises in the cost of packaging.

"There is no longer the ability for manufacturers to continue to absorb those increased costs."

Regional areas hit hardest

Mr Pattinson noted a disproportionate number of Australians in regional areas that needed Foodbank's assistance.

"There's been an increase [in demand for our services] across the whole state," he said.

"But there is no doubt that the regional areas have seen a huge increase, quite substantially higher than the metro sites.

"The Riverland is about 50-per-cent up on last year, Whyalla has almost doubled, Murray Bridge is about 60-per-cent up compared to last year, and Mount Gambier is about 30-per-cent up."

Mr Pattinson believed the disparity was due to the level of support services in regional and remote areas compared to metropolitan areas.

He said people from all demographics accessed the service.

"It's not necessarily people who are stereotypically in need of food assistance ... who have got issues that prevent them from having a sustainable income," he said.

"In more than 60 per cent of the cases, it's families for whom the cost of living is starting to really hit home.

"And I've got to be honest, I don't think we've seen the end of it yet either."

Recently, while in the local supermarket aisle, Katie explained to her daughter why she couldn't buy the food item the child had chosen from the shelf.

"All I had was $6 in coins to my name," she said.

"I had to tell my daughter that we could only afford the bread that we came in for and in one of the hardest moments of being a parent, she turned to me and said: 'I'm so sick of being poor Mum'."

*Katie's name has been changed to protect her identity.

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Schools call for charity breakfast program to extend to lunches as parents cope with rising costs

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South Australian mum Katie struggles to pay for enough food to fill her children's lunch boxes. She is one of many parents coping with the rising cost of living who would benefit from an extension of Foodbank's breakfast program into a lunch service.

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Are we sleepwalking to World War III? By Stan Grant

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Are we sleepwalking to World War III? By Stan Grant

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Facts You Should Know About Our Indigenous History for Invasion Day

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Facts You Should Know About Our Indigenous History for Invasion Day

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January 26th is a day of great morning and loss for Indigenous people. It marks the day that in 1788, Arthur Phillip raised the British Flag at Sydney Cove, proclaiming British sovereignty over the Eastern Seaboard of Australia and beginning the process of colonisation.

While Australia has marked Australia Day as a celebration, Indigenous people since at least the 1930s have held counter-events, and refer to the date as Survival Day, the Day of Mourning, or Invasion Day.

January 26th marks the beginning of a long and painful process of colonisation, genocide, and erasure of Indigenous peoples, languages, and culture. It's a process that many see as ongoing to this date and, for many, certainly not a date that calls for celebration.

Below, we're bringing you a guide to the facts of January 26th.

Language Is So Important

The way we discuss Indigenous issues, history, and culture is important. Language has been used to subjugate and categorise people for centuries and a simple phrase or name can signify or represent issues in a way that perpetuates harmful narratives or stereotypes.

Take Aboriginal or Aborigine, for example. This might be the term that many, particularly older generations, will use refer to Indigenous people. It's problematic however as it has been used historically to subjugate and perpetuate racism.

Aboriginal is a word of Latin origin which simply means original inhabitants. It doesn't refer to the original inhabitants of this land. When referring to Indigenous people in Australia, it's best to give their clan name as a descriptor and use Indigenous, First Nation, or Traditional Owners / Traditional Custodians as general references.

The name Australia too is a hotly debated subject. While there has been movement for a long time to rename New Zealand to its indigenous name, Aotearoa, Indigenous people here never had one name for the land as a whole. First Nations people were made up of roughly 500 separate clans or nations and never thought of themselves as a homogenised whole.

Instead, people have begun using the Indigenous names of the lands they currently reside in and the phrase "so-called Australia" to refer to the nation. Australia Post somewhat legitimised the practice recently by accepting Indigenous place names on letters. It's done so to serve as a reminder of the complex and non-consensual manner in which our nation was created as well as to pay respect to the traditional custodians of the land from whom sovereignty was never ceded.

You can learn more about language here.

Indigenous Culture Was Highly Developed

Australia has been inhabited for over 60,000 years, a time that keeps on growing into the past as more and more is discovered about the ancient people that first came to this land, likely on boats or land bridges from present day Indonesia.

Popular history has held that the Indigenous people were primitive, poor, and with little cultural achievements to speak of. This idea made the process of colonisation easier to stomach and justify.

Bruce Pascoe made headlines, and a fair few enemies, when he released in 2014. The book's main premise holds that Indigenous culture, rather than being a simple hunter-gatherer society, was highly developed and incredibly complex. After all, how could it not be in order to survive in the harsh and unforgiving environments of this island?

Indigenous peoples used processes like fish traps, agriculture, and engineering to create permanent settlements that were rich in food and resources and highly adapted to plentiful survival. The suppression of this information and physical history, Pascoe claims, has been in service of the philosophical understanding of Australia as "Terra Nullius", an empty land that, in the eyes of the law, is fair game for occupation.

That's not even to touch on Indigenous culture, much of which revolves around song, story telling, and a cosmic understanding of the intertwined, harmonious relationship between people and Land.

To give one example, the entire country is crossed with songlines, paths taken by creator dreamtime spirits, that have been followed by Indigneous people for thousands of years, passing the songs down through generations in oral history. Repeating the songs while walking allows for safe navigation through the roughest terrain on Earth.

Colonisation Was Not Peaceful

The myth of peaceful colonisation is one that has been taught in our schools and repeated in our films and TV shows for decade. It suggests that white settlers simply tamed the wilds of the Australian outback, creating order from chaos in a natural "progressive" historical trend. Largely these stories focus on the grit and determination of early explorers as they charted the land.

Unfortunately, much of the real nature of what took place has been edited and revised for family viewing. The real nature of colonisation was anything but peaceful.

Australian historian Henry Reynolds writes:

"During the first half of the 20th century the Aborigines (sic) were written out of Australian history. This had the convenient effect of hiding much of the domestic bloodshed, allowing the celebration of what came to be viewed as a uniquely peaceful history of settlement... For generations weaned on this soothing syrup the new history of the frontier came as an unwelcome revelation and one often stoutly resisted."

Visit any number of regional towns and places in Australia and grim stories of massacres, poisonings, and enslavements are recorded everywhere on plaques and in visitor guides. Taken as an individual incident, they might not inspire epiphany, but when considered as a whole, the myth of peaceful settlement is apparent.

It's Still Going on

One thing to consider when discussing Indigenous history in Australia is that the process of colonisation and subjugation is still ongoing. While policy names and practices may have shifted over the years, Indigenous people believe that the larger overall project of white supremacist dominance - where white settlers are held as the right and proper authorities of the land - continues to this day.

Examples are everywhere but we can look at Indigenous incarceration rates for a clear sign of these ongoing practices. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people make up almost 30% of the incarcerated population while representing only 3.3% of the population as a whole.

While this data gives us only a rough picture, the reasons behind it are clear. Socio-economic factors like poor education levels and high unemployment along with intergenerational trauma and intergenerational economic disadvantage are key factors in criminality, regardless of race. It is evident that government policy continues to fail our Indigenous people.

In addition, the disregard for Indigenous sovereignty and rights are still very much a part of every day life. We saw last year the destruction of the Juukan Gorge, one of the oldest sites of continuous inland inhabitancy on the planet, with evidence that it has been lived in through the last Ice Age. Mining giant Rio Tinto destroyed the 46,000-year-old site with ministerial consent despite protests from Traditional Owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, and information that this was one of the most significant archaeological sites in the country. Rio Tinto currently holds 1,780 approvals to destroy significant Indigenous sites.

Similarly, the Andrews Government of Victoria took the decision on the day the Victorian lockdown ended to start cutting down sacred directional and birthing trees of the Djab Wurrung people to make way for a new highway. Officials defended the felling, saying the trees were not on a protection list which further speaks to the issues with Australian cultural heritage laws.

Finally, we can turn to another grim reminder of the continuing problems white Australia has with its Indigenous history when looking at the sorry facts of Indigenous deaths in custody.

Since 1991, when a Royal Commission into Indigenous deaths in custody found that Indigenous people were 16.5 times more likely to die in police custody than other ethnicities, more than 434 Indigenous people have died in police custody. Not a single person has ever been convicted for any of these deaths. It's a shocking record that The Guardian has reported on extensively and calls " shameful ".

While people will be out there celebrating with a BBQ and a VB on January 26th, remember that this is a day of mourning for so many people across the country and using the information here should give you some ideas of how to engage meaningfully in conversations with those people.

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Facts You Should Know About Our Indigenous History for Invasion Day

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January 26th marks the beginning of a long and painful process of colonisation, genocide, and erasure of indigenous peoples, languages, and culture. It's a process that many see as ongoing to this date and, for many, certainly not a date that calls for celebration.

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The Word ‘Houseless’ Made Me Rethink Perceptions of 'Homeless' People

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The Word ‘Houseless’ Made Me Rethink Perceptions of 'Homeless' People

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At the same time, a related term to homelessness, the homeless, has begun to be seen as othering. In May 2020 the Associated Press updated its stylebook to focus on "person-first" language; it said not to use the homeless, calling it a dehumanizing term, and instead use terms like homeless people or people without housing.

When talking about people experiencing homelessness, the goal is to be respectful and not lump everyone together, according to Giselle Routhier, policy director for the Coalition for the Homeless. She noted that the experience of homelessness varies from person to person, and said part of it depends on how someone prefers to be described.

"We've had conversations with some members who were previously homeless about what term they prefer: homeless person versus unhoused versus person experiencing homelessness," Routhier said. "People said as long as they're being described with respect, they kind of don't care."

She added that unhoused seems to be used more generally along the West Coast compared to the East Coast, where homeless is more common.

However, the terminology is important in legal matters, according to Leilani Farha, global director of the housing initiative The Shift. Farha, who served as the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to housing from 2014 to 2020, said that in her work in international legal fields, homeless is the appropriate term as it goes back to language in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 25 of the document states "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

The other issue with finding the right terminology is that homelessness is different to every person experiencing it. Farha noted that some people could be chronically homeless-homeless for more than a year-or just experiencing it episodically, falling into homelessness for only a month or so, even just couch surfing.

More specific terminology can go a long way toward clarifying the kind of homelessness someone is experiencing. People can experience homelessness but are "sheltered" if they are able to stay in homeless shelters or transitional housing. "Unsheltered" people are those living on the street. New York City, for instance, has approximately 80,000 unhoused people, but the majority are sheltered. That's a stark contrast with Los Angeles, where only 12,438 of the city's more than 41,000 homeless individuals are sheltered, per data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

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Time to Retire the Word 'Homeless' and Opt for 'Houseless' or 'Unhoused' Instead?

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As the homeless crisis deepens, the words used to describe those most impacted are finally beginning to change

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The Conversation: Caring for the environment has a long Catholic lineage

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The Conversation: Caring for the environment has a long Catholic lineage

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Pope Francis has laid emphasis on protecting the environment, but he's not the only pope to speak about caring for nature. AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

Pope Francis led dozens of religious leaders Oct. 4, 2021 in issuing a plea to protect the environment, warning that "Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home."

The appeal, which calls for net-zero emissions, was released after months of meetings leading up to the United Nations' November climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

The pope has voiced support for green policies before, including his 2015 encyclical letter to the entire Catholic Church "On Care for Our Common Home."

But Francis is not the first Catholic leader to emphasize care for the planet. In fact, every pope for the past half-century - except John Paul I, who died after just one month in office - has addressed environmental issues in their official publications.

As a scholar whose research focuses on the medieval Church, I see many of these concerns deeply rooted in the history of the Catholic tradition.

The early tradition

One of the basic beliefs of Christianity is that the material world was created directly by God, and thus fundamentally connected with God's goodness.

This is clearly expressed in the creation narrative in the book of Genesis, part of the sacred scripture shared by Christians and Jews. As God completes each element of the world - day, night, land, sea, etc. - he sees that "it was good." On the sixth day, when God creates human beings in God's own image, they are given "dominion" or "rule" over everything that lives on the Earth.

Early Christians insisted that the beauty of creation reflected God's glory. But as Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, they had to defend this view of the basic goodness of creation when challenged by another religious viewpoint.

This movement - called Gnosticism, from the Greek word meaning "knowledge" - taught that the physical world was created not directly by God, but by a lesser spiritual being, out of malice or ignorance. At best, the material world was a worthless distraction; at worst, an evil snare for human souls. Gnostic teachers offered to teach their followers how to free their spirits from attachment to their physical bodies and the material world. In this way, after death they could return to the realm of spiritual reality and reunite with the divine.

Many theologians and bishops criticized this interpretation of their faith. Several wrote lengthy, detailed critiques of Gnostic teaching; at stake, they believed, was the salvation of souls.

The most prominent of these was St. Irenaeus of Lyons, who lived in the second century A.D. On Oct. 7, 2021, Francis announced that he would declare Irenaeus a "Doctor of the Church," a title reserved for saints whose writings have had a profound impact on the life of the Church.

In Irenaeus' treatise Against the Heresies, a passionate defense of the teaching of the scriptures and apostles, he states that creation itself reveals God and God's glory; the only higher revelation is Jesus Christ himself.

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, however, Western Christianity was left with a lingering suspicion of "worldly things," despite this early stress on the basic goodness of material creation.

Miniatur aus dem Rupertsberger Codex des Liber Scivias/Wikimedia Commons

The Benedictine tradition

By the third century, some Christians began to seek a life more fully focused on God by removing themselves from society to pray and work together in communal groups. This kind of monasticism swept across Western Europe during the medieval period.

The most influential of these monastic orders were the Benedictines, who balanced their lives between daily prayer services and work - which often involved agriculture and care of the surrounding environment. Each monk or nun pledged to remain at the same monastery for life, unless its abbot or abbess - the monk or nun in charge - ordered them to move to another. Because of this, Benedictines became known as " lovers of place."

Today, one Benedictine saint has become especially connected with environmental concerns: St. Hildegard of Bingen, who died in A.D. 1179. This German abbess was one of the most accomplished women of the Middle Ages. An expert on herbal medicines and botany, she also wrote religious plays, composed liturgical chants and hymns, and authored theological works and poems based on her mystical experiences. She insisted that God loved the Earth as a husband loves a wife, and espoused a kind of " green" theology, called viriditas, condemning the harm that human activity could do to nature.

Hildegard has been acclaimed as an unofficial patron saint of environmentalists. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared her a "Doctor of the Church," like Irenaeus.

Giotto di Bondone/Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi/Wikimedia Commons

The Franciscan tradition

St. Francis of Assisi, son of an Italian cloth merchant, has over the centuries become renowned for his love of the natural world. After time as a soldier and prisoner of war, Francis underwent a spiritual conversion. Rejecting his father's wealth, he chose to live a life of radical poverty and public preaching until his death in A.D. 1226. Early on, male members of his new mendicant movement, the Franciscians, took religious vows but traveled from town to town with no fixed residence, begging for food and lodging.

One of Francis' few documents is a poem, the Canticle of the Sun, which lyrically expressed his belief in the kinship between human beings and the rest of the natural world. Even the Sun and the Moon are addressed as "brother" and "sister." And as he lay dying, it is said that he asked to be laid on the bare Earth.

Legends about his preaching and miracles circulated widely, and some involved his concern for animals, treating them with the same dignity as human beings. One story holds that he preached to birds and convinced a vicious wolf to live in peace with nearby townspeople.

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In 1979, Pope John Paul II named St. Francis the patron saint of ecology because he "revered nature as a wonderful gift of God." And in 2015, Pope Francis used the first words of the Canticle of the Sun, Laudatio si', to open his encyclical on the environment and serve as its official title.

Although often overshadowed by the notion that the material world is only a passing distraction, reverence for a creation deeply loved by God has also been an important part of Catholic tradition. Contemporary teaching on the environment is only its most recent expression.

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Caring for the environment has a long Catholic lineage - hundreds of years before Pope Francis

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Environmentalism may seem like a new mindset, especially in the Church. But care for creation has been woven into Catholicism for centuries.

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Understanding the trade war: How Australia & China's relationship impacts agriculture

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Understanding the trade war: How Australia & China's relationship impacts agriculture

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Farmers who fell victim to the multi-billion-dollar China-Australia trade spat are seeing signs for optimism as they find new customers for their produce.

Farmers caught out in Australia's trade dispute with China are finding new markets for their produce

The cost of tariffs and the unofficial trade bans is unclear

Cotton, barley diversify, lobster exporters still face an uncertain future

Barley growers say they are getting good prices from markets in the Middle East and Asia, while wool, wheat and dairy are largely unaffected by the trade bans and, despite impacts on some abattoirs, red meat sales to China remain high.

Cotton growers are also making some inroads in markets including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh and the wine industry has been active in finding new markets.

But the lobster industry has struggled to fill the gap caused by the loss of the China market.

Caution with comments on China

The Department of Agriculture will not say what the cost to farmers has been of higher tariffs and unofficial customs bans across a range of commodities, including barley, beef, wine and cotton.

"China has not imposed sanctions on Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry products," a spokesman said.

It is also careful about how it refers to the row:

"Australian agricultural, fisheries and forestry exports faced a number of challenges, including drought, bushfires, COVID-19 and disruptions to regular trade flows for some commodities into the China market."

The National Farmers' Federation has speculated farmers could lose more than $35 billion over the next decade because of the trade fallout, although it is unclear how the lobby group arrived at the figure.

Signs of recovery for barley exports

Eight months after China introduced hefty tariffs on barley, Australia's largest grain handler, CBH Group, says growers are being paid similar prices to when its most valuable customer was buying.

"For the Australian barley industry, yes it has been a tough 2020, but we're certainly recovering here and prices have recovered to basically the same levels as pre the anti-dumping tariffs," CBH Group chief marketing and trading officer Jason Craig said.

Mr Craig estimated a bumper 13 million tonnes of barley had been harvested across Australia this summer.

He said strong demand from feed markets in the Middle East and Asia and an Australian-first trial to sell premium malting barley to brewers in Mexico had helped to replace lost trade to China.

"Currently it's one shipment of 35,000 tonnes that's worth more than $10 million, so it's an important trial," he said.

Red meat still selling into China

Australia continues to sell a lot of farm produce into China.

Exports including, wool, wheat and dairy are so far largely unaffected by the trade spat and, despite some abattoirs being restricted, sales of red meat to China remain high.

In 2020, six Australian abattoirs were suspended from the trade over labelling issues and claims of meat contamination.

A further two meat plants in Victoria are also waiting to resume selling beef and lamb to China after staff were infected with COVID-19, but prices for Australian cattle are at record highs.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) managing director Jason Strong said the impact of the tariffs across exports had been minimal.

"Yes, there was disruption, but the material impact on overall exports wasn't that great," Mr Strong said.

Australia's recovery from drought has seen the price of cattle soar to record levels, and Mr Strong said, "finding a home for beef not going to China isn't a major challenge".

China was Australia's third most valuable market for red meat last year.

"We sent them 197,000 tonnes of beef, so that was the second biggest year by quite a bit that we've sent to China and they were only number three by about 25,000 tonnes less than the US," Mr Strong said.

Cotton spreads risk, returns still high

Cotton growers are also expected to receive high returns for their produce in 2021, as the industry expands into markets across Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

Australian growers and shippers claim Chinese spinning mills were told last October to stop buying Australian grown cotton, and the billion-dollar a year trade essentially stopped.

Toowoomba-based cotton trader and industry analyst Pete Johnson estimated growers would lose a $10-$20 a bale premium without China in the market, but that returns to growers this year were expected to be "historically high".

"Would we prefer the Chinese were there to take our cotton? Absolutely, but [we are] spreading our risk into a range of other markets throughout the subcontinent and Asia," Mr Johnson said.

"Spreading that risk is ultimately not a bad thing for the industry.

"While the price is good for the growers, and we're able to spread our risk further. It's not all bad news and its not all doom and gloom," he said.

Winemakers look to new markets

In the two months since China introduced tariffs on Australian wine, the value of exports fell by $250 million when compared to the same time last year.

The loss of such a lucrative market is disappointing for New South Wales winemaker Bruce Tyrrell, who spent much of last year looking for new customers.

"We're opening markets in the 'Stans'- in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan," Mr Tyrrell said.

"They're not going to be massive, but they're good markets - wealthy countries building their level of sophistication, so as that happens, wine drinking goes with it," he said.

The Australian wine industry will also look to other Asian countries, into parts of Africa and the US.

Mr Tyrrell said 60 per cent of Australian wine is exported, and while it might be nice to think the domestic market could absorb some of the loss, it was unlikely.

"We can drink it all, but I don't think anyone will get much work done, because we'll all be legless."

Path to recovery not clear for lobster industry

For the Australian seafood industry, which sent almost 95 per cent of rock lobster exports to China, the market is harder to replace.

Louise Hart, who owns a family fishing business on Tasmania's West Coast, says she's been operating at a loss since China stopped buying up last November.

"We're not pinning our hopes on China coming back at all - no," Ms Hart said.

Ms Hart is uncertain about her industry's future when the new year quote begins next month.

"We don't know if we go out fishing. Are the buyers going to be able to sell them at any price at all, or are they just going to sit in their freezers or their tanks. We really don't know," Ms Hart said.

"There are a lot of industries in Australia like us, that have been solely reliant on China. It is a big warning to all of those too, find some other markets now," she said.

Government looks to EU, UK

Trade Minister Dan Tehan said he hoped new trade agreements with the UK and EU, expected to be established this year, would help exporters no longer trading into China.

"What those free trade agreements will do is provide us with access to another 500 million consumers at cheaper rates for our exporters," Mr Tehan said.
Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday, or on iview.

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Beyond China: Optimism grows as Australian farmers look to new markets

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Farmers who fell victim to the multi-billion-dollar China-Australia trade spat are seeing signs of hope as they find new customers for their produce.

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Cost-of-living crisis forcing people in remote regions to give up fresh produce

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Cost-of-living crisis forcing people in remote regions to give up fresh produce

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Few Australians are immune from the rising cost of living but in remote communities, the price of some staple items means they are fast becoming a luxury.

People in some rural communities are foregoing fresh produce amid rising costs

High fuel prices are making it too costly to drive long distances for cheaper options

Prices are expected to keep rising to make up for on-farm losses and growing input costs

Freight costs and supermarket monopolies mean rural Australians can pay up to three times more than city dwellers for some items.

A kilogram of beans where Jennifer Doecke lives in western New South Wales, for example, can cost $36 compared to $11 in Sydney.

As food prices continue to rise, Ms Doecke has been struggling to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat.

To do her shopping, she has to drive 25 kilometres from her home at Euabalong into Lake Cargelligo.

Her other option is a three-hour return trip to the closest major supermarket at Griffith where prices are typically more competitive.

But she said fuel had become too expensive to make up for savings at the other end.

"That's what's knocking me around," Ms Doecke said.

Fears about health ramifications

As a diabetic, she fears a lack of fresh food could have health ramifications.

Her shelves are mostly filled with canned and long-life goods, which Ms Doecke said lacked the vitamins and minerals she desperately needed.

"Our fridges are bare because we can't afford fresh fruit and vegies," she said.

She said the cost of her weekly food shop had gone up by about $100 since the start of the year.

"You're talking your most basic, most important foods," Ms Doecke said.

"Before you could actually fill the trolley with all the food you want, but we just can't afford to buy it now."

Businesses cannot absorb it all

The grocery store and butcher shop at Lake Cargelligo have no option but to pass on growing expenses to customers.

IGA employee Natasha Loftus has watched prices go up by about 15 per cent over the past few months.

She said there were some items, such as lettuce and broccoli, that they simply did not order anymore - either because they had become scarce or customers were not willing to pay for them.

"Hopefully we can get the prices down and more stock available on our shelves," Ms Loftus said.

Butcher Tom Brown said the cost of a beef carcass had almost doubled since 2017, fuel had gone up by 75 per cent and power, which used to cost $45 a day, was now $75 a day.

"Fuel, electricity, wages, tax - the whole lot," Mr Brown said.

"It's hurting everybody's hip pocket and it's taking its toll on the people," he said.

Read more on Australia's cost of living:

But he would not raise prices as much as he needed to.

"It's very hard because we rely on our customers to sell the meat," Mr Brown said.

"We don't really have too much time to sell all our product ... so it's very crucial to get the numbers through the door and spending the money."

Country versus city

According to the Consumer Price Index, fruit and vegetables have gone up by 6.7 per cent year-on-year, with everybody across Australia feeling the pinch.

Researchers from the University of Queensland found people in regional and remote areas were far worse off when it came to food access and affordability than those in the city.

Professor of Public Health Policy Amanda Lee said healthy diets were simply unaffordable for some and people with underlying conditions would be impacted the most.

While the average household spent up to a third of their total income to purchase a healthy diet - up about 7 per cent from last year - that jumped to 40 per cent for those living in regional and remote areas.

"There can be fewer food outlets so there's less competition," Professor Lee said.

Indigenous communities were worst off, paying more than half of their household income to eat well, despite their earnings being among the lowest in the nation.

"They have got that double whammy of having to pay more for healthy foods but also having less income," Professor Lee said.

"In the past, perhaps regional areas were better serviced by local products, but with climate change effects like the fires, floods and droughts, we're seeing less food produced in local areas."

Worst yet to come

According to a national vegetable industry body, the price of fresh produce will only get higher.

AusVeg's Tyson Cattle said farmers were facing increases to input costs of anywhere between 35 to 45 per cent.

"Growers are facing significant pressure in their costs of production and they deserve a fair price at the end," he said.

Find more local news
Browse for your location and find more local ABC News and information

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'Our fridges are bare': Like many in remote areas, Jennifer can't afford fresh food

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Foregoing fresh fruit, vegetables and meat is a reality for those living in remote communities during Australia's cost-of-living crisis, with some fearing it will have health ramifications for the future.

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"The only way to preserve peace is to prepare for war"

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"The only way to preserve peace is to prepare for war"

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Why a separate holiday for Indigenous Australians misses the point

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Why a separate holiday for Indigenous Australians misses the point

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has floated the idea of a new national holiday to recognise the achievements of Indigenous Australians. The proposal is a pre-emptive strike against what he called the " indulgent self-loathing " of those who want to shift Australia Day from 26 January to a date that is inclusive and respectful of Indigenous people.

There is much in Australia's history to celebrate. There is much that is shameful. The choice of a national day is a statement about what it means to be Australian and, by extension, who is left as an outsider. This is more than just symbolism.

In recent years, the movement to " change the date" of Australia Day has gained significant momentum. Attendance at Invasion Day rallies now numbers in the thousands across the country.

Read more: Indigenous recognition in our Constitution matters - and will need greater political will to achieve

The Byron Shire Council in NSW recently announced it will stop holding Australia Day celebrations on 26 January. The federal government swiftly moved to remove the council's rights to hold citizenship ceremonies - a common Australia Day practice that many councils across the country have discontinued in recognition of what the day may mean for Indigenous people.

In the past, public discussion about the appropriateness of the date of the national day usually only happened in the days leading up to 26 January. It is significant that only weeks into his prime ministership and four months before the day, Morrison has chosen to intervene in a debate that he could easily have left alone.

His move suggests that the balance of opinion is shifting, and some concession to Indigenous objections to Australia Day is required to preserve the acceptability of the national holiday to a growing number of Australians.

Beyond the debate over Australia Day

But an alternative holiday for Indigenous people doesn't address the fundamental arguments against celebrating nationhood on a day that cannot avoid causing offence to some citizens.

The only moral defence in favour of celebrating Australia Day on 26 January is to somehow find a way to make it genuinely inclusive. Proponents of the day, particularly Morrison, need to show the political vision that takes the country beyond the dispossession and exclusion that Australia Day represents for some people.

In response to the idea of a separate day to celebrate Indigenous achievements, Indigenous Invasion Day rally co-organiser Tarneen Onus-Williams said :

It's about genocide, it's not about our achievements.

Celebration is hard when government agencies themselves admit that the systematic exclusion of Indigenous peoples from public decision-making persists and partly explains the depth of policy failure in Indigenous affairs.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart shows that this exclusion is neither necessary nor inevitable. Yet celebration is hard to align with the government's continued rejection of a guaranteed Indigenous voice to parliament and Morrison's false claim that this would constitute a " third chamber ".

Read more: First reconciliation, then a republic - starting with changing the date of Australia Day

Labor MP Linda Burney, the first Indigenous woman elected to the federal House of Representatives, has argued that Uluru's substantive constitutional and political proposal is vastly more important than changing the date of Australia Day, which she says is "a very narrow way to look at the issue of Indigenous affairs".

Indeed, raising public awareness of the lasting impacts of colonisation has been an ongoing process for many years. Reconciliation gained momentum with the Mabo and Wik decisions of the High Court, and the inquiries into Indigenous deaths in custody and the removal of Indigenous children from their families.

However, much work remains to be done. True reconciliation requires serious political transformation to allow Indigenous peoples real authority over their own affairs and capacities to participate in public decision-making.

The importance of symbolism

Celebrating Australia Day on 26 January, in its current form, is an obstacle to reconciliation.

But substance, symbol and celebration are closely related. It is still reasonable for an inclusive and respectful nation to aspire to celebrate its national day. Australia's national day needs to be forward-looking and aspire to inclusive nationhood.

Read more: Why Australia Day survives, despite revealing a nation's rifts and wounds

January 26 is an important day of reflection and commemoration. A day of public memory where one thinks about the good and the bad in the development of Australian nationhood. It ought not be a day where the good is celebrated and the not so good hidden away. Rather, it needs to be a day of truth-telling - a path to what the Uluru Statement calls Makarrata:

Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination.

"Coming together" is a difficult, though worthy aspiration. Its achievement partly depends on what the country chooses to celebrate on its national day and why. This is more than just symbolically important - it has deep, practical implications for what it means to be part of a national community.

If, as Morrison has acknowledged, white settlement of Australia involved " a few scars from some mistakes and some things that you could've done better ", he might develop a meaningful plan for doing better.

If we need an alternative to 26 January as the day to celebrate Indigenous Australians, we are saying that a common and shared nationhood is not possible - a very clear statement of who is in and who is out.

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Why a separate holiday for Indigenous Australians misses the point

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has floated the idea of a new national holiday to recognise the achievements of Indigenous Australians. The proposal is a pre-emptive strike against what he called the " indulgent self-loathing " of those who want to shift Australia Day from 26 January to a date that is inclusive and respectful of Indigenous people.

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Hostile architecture: Anti-homeless design choices in Perth City 

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Hostile architecture: Anti-homeless design choices in Perth City 

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From public toilets to park benches, homeless people are being cut off from the spaces around them.

Last week, the WA Department of Culture and the Arts found itself under fire after it installed a sprinkler system on Perth's King Street Arts Centre building. The high-pressure sprinklers, which came on for thirty seconds every hour at night, were designed to keep homeless people from sleeping in an alleyway next to the building.

People were horrified by what they felt was a cruel and humiliating anti-homeless measure, with St Vincent de Paul Society CEO Mark Fitzpatrick declaring: "You wouldn't treat a dog like that". A petition started by Common Grace's Jarrod McKenna demanding that the sprinklers be removed swiftly gathered over 15,000 signatures, and television news coverage saw the pressure build even further. Yesterday, the Department announced that the sprinklers have been uninstalled.

The controversy was arguably the most prominent homegrown example of a phenomenon springing up in cities all over the world; architecture and public planning designed to stop homeless people from sleeping, begging or congregating in areas where they might be deemed a nuisance. Known as " hostile architecture," it's triggered a backlash in cities like London and Montreal, where spikes and studs have been installed in building alcoves and under overpasses to deter homeless people from setting up.

Anti homeless floor studs. So much for community spirit :( pic.twitter.com/Yz8VF7Ryid

- Ethical Pioneer (@ethicalpioneer) June 6, 2014

Designing public spaces in ways that discourage certain behaviours is commonplace but easily missable if you don't know what to look for; innocuous studs and knobs on banisters, public steps and railings are usually there to drive away skateboarders, and Hamburg made headlines earlier this year for using a special water-repellent paint to stop people drunkenly pissing on public buildings. There's even a device called the Mosquito that emits a high-frequency sound supposedly audible only to people under 25, which Sydney's State Rail considered using as a way to counter graffiti and vandalism in 2013.

But hostile architecture is specifically designed with the homeless in mind, and explains a lot of features in public spaces you might never have thought of. Set metal armrests that divide public benches and bus stops into individual seat-spaces aren't just to help people relax while they're sitting down; they're also there to stop homeless people using them as makeshift beds.

While less common here than overseas, anti-homeless studs have begun popping up in Australian cities too; this ledge on Sydney's Foveaux Street, which homeless people selling copies of The Big Issue used to rest on, gained its own set of studs once a newly-minted Woolworths occupied the building. My butt can confirm they're uncomfortable even after sitting for a short time, let alone trying to sleep, and my butt does not lie about these things.

More recently, train stations in several cities have begun vigorously policing access to their toilets. In the last few months, ticket barriers at three of the largest metropolitan train stations in Sydney- Wynyard, Town Hall and Central - have been moved outward so that station toilets fall inside the pay-for-access zone, rendering them off-limits for anyone who doesn't have a ticket or paid-up Opal Card. Belmore Park, across the road from Central Station, has become host to a semi-permanent "tent city" of around 40 homeless people in recent months. In Melbourne, meanwhile, major new stations like the one completed at Southlands last year are being built without toilet facilities at all.

Complicating matters is the fact that state and federal funding cuts are forcing shelters and programs working with the homeless - especially those dedicated to female victims of domestic violence - to reassess the sort of services they can provide, with many contemplating outright closure. As homelessness rates spike, people turned away from already-stretched emergency housing and hostels are more likely to run afoul of hostile architecture or its consequences, especially when it works in tandem with existing policies that already make it difficult for homeless people to live.

Public urination in NSW, for instance, falls under a broad "anti-social behaviour" category, and carries a fine of up to $500. But in a city where train station toilets are increasingly inaccessible for non-paying customers, where homeless people are meant to go to the toilet is a question with no ready answers.

Overseas, there are pushbacks against hostile architecture and the mindset behind it; Vancouver's bus stops famously fold out into homeless shelters at night, and groups in Melbourne, South Africa and Los Angeles are providing creative solutions to give homeless people quick accommodation and services like clothing and haircuts. But in Australia, hostile architecture dovetails distressingly well with existing policies that target the homeless; begging is illegal in Melbourne, where it can be met with a $100 fine and a court appearance, and WA has long been considering proposals to outlaw begging in the Perth CBD that could see police seize homeless people's money as the proceeds of crime.

But as we saw this week, that kind of hostility towards homeless people can paradoxically focus people's attention on homelessness and demand better from their governments. In the wake of the outcry over the Perth sprinklers, the WA government has announced it is increasing its target of affordable homes by 10,000 - an expansion of a program that has already seen 20,000 affordable homes delivered to vulnerable people in the state. In a country where homeless people are suffocating in their cars from using the heater to keep warm at night, we can probably find more sophisticated responses to poverty and homelessness than putting uncomfortable armrests on park benches.

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Feature image via Colleen Galvin on a Flickr Creative Commons license.

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Subtle Design Changes To Australia's Inner Cities Are Making Life Harder For The Homeless

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From public toilets to park benches, homeless people are being cut off from the spaces around them.

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WATCH: The struggling industry of Australian dairy farms

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WATCH: The struggling industry of Australian dairy farms

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Dairy farmers open up about struggling industry | Nine News Australia

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Food security is a basic human right. In fact, having access to at least an adequate amount of nutritious food could be seen as the most basic of all human rights.

However, for hundreds of millions of people, this right is not being met, usually for reasons entirely out of their control. In this article, we will discuss why this is happening, the impact that food insecurity has on those affected, and what we can do, both as individuals and collectively, to right these wrongs.

What is the definition of food security?

Food security is the measure of an individual's ability to access food that is nutritious and sufficient in quantity. Some definitions of food security specify that food must also meet an individual's food preferences and dietary needs for active and healthy lifestyles.

What are the different levels of food security?

The concept of food security can be broken down into four main components known as the '4 pillars of food security'.

Availability - Availability simply refers to the existence of food within a community. This is closely linked to the efficacy of food production. Availability can become an issue when there is a lack of necessary resources, such as water for irrigation or when land being used for food production is damaged or degraded.

Access - Simply having enough food in a community means very little if there is poor access to it. True food security means that individuals have the resources they need to obtain a sufficient quality of nutritious food. Access to food is affected by a myriad of physical, social and policy related factors. Factors such as pricing, household proximity to suppliers and infrastructure all affect our access to food.

Utilisation - Not all food is of equal or sufficient value. To be food secure, it is crucial that the food being accessed is of a good quality. It is paramount that food is nutritious and healthy enough to provide the energy people need for their daily activities. It is also crucial that individuals have the necessary knowledge and tools to properly 'utilise' the food available to them. This includes having the utilities to properly select, prepare, and store foods that are available and accessible.

Stability - Good food stability means that access, availability and utilisation of food remains relatively stable over time. It is important to try to minimise any threats to this stability. Threats to food stability include natural disasters, climate change, conflict and economic factors such as volatile price fluctuations.

How is food security measured?

As we have already discussed, food security is a multi-faceted concept which begs the question, how is food security assessed? Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are several facets and methods used to assess food security.

1. Estimating calories per capita

2. Household income and expenditure surveys

3. Measuring individual's dietary intake

4. Measuring individual's height, weight and body composition

5. Reports of individual's experience of food security

What are the major causes of food insecurity?

Understanding why some people face food insecurity and the effects this can have on them and their families is the first step in helping to mitigate the damage that food insecurity can cause.

Conflict: Conflict stands out as the single biggest factor driving global hunger today. Over 60% of those who are food insecure are living in conflict zones. Conflict forces people to flee from their homes, often leaving behind their only means to a livelihood. Conflict also divides communities and can cause farmers to abandon any long-term agricultural strategies for fear that they will never reap the benefits if they are forced to flee.

Climate change: After years of stagnation, the number of hungry people in the world rose between 2015 and 2018 by nearly 40 million people, with the greatest rise coming in drought-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. An increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters has devastated some regions, destroying crop yields and limiting the quantity and quality of food available to communities.

Population Growth: According to the UN, the global population will be nearly 10 billion people by 2050. As the population continues to grow, it is necessary that food production and food accessibility grow to match it. Unfortunately, we have already seen in countries that have experienced population booms that resources needed for food production (water supply, croplands) can become scarce when divided, causing food insecurity.

What are the main threats to food security?

We have discussed the main threats to food security in the section exploring the causes of food insecurity however this list is not exhaustive. Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has threatened the food security of millions of people worldwide. Reduced incomes, increased unemployment and higher food prices in many regions have greatly reduced access to food for those effected. Furthermore, necessary boarder restrictions and lockdowns brought in to stop the spread of Covid-19 have caused disruptions to the transportation and production of food.

According to the United Nations, the number of food-insecure people categorised as crisis level or worse has potentially nearly doubled in 2020. The economic fallout of Covid-19 affects food production at all levels. We have seen disruptions to the financial liquidity of food producers, inflation of basic food items and consumers with reduced incomes unable to meet these rise in prices. It is essential at this time that we work to protect those most at risk while laying the groundwork for a more stable and sustainable future.

What happens when there is food insecurity?

Malnutrition: Malnutrition can be a devastating reality for those who are food insecure. This is not only because of the associated suffering but also because it can lead to those affected becoming increasingly food insecure. Weakened muscles and cognitive issues associated with malnutrition can make it near impossible for the individuals who are suffering to improve their situation or even to maintain their livelihoods.

Stunting: When a child does not receive the proper nutrition, particularly during their first 1,000 days from conception to their second birthday, they will likely suffer stunting. This means they will not mentally or physically develop to where they otherwise would, irreversibly damaging their well-being and future prospects. This issue is all too common in countries affected by food insecurity. For example, over one-third of children are affected by stunting in Liberia - a country ranked the six hungriest in the world by our Global Hunger Index.

Mental Health Issues: A recent study on food insecurity in Ethiopia found that those facing food insecurity were more likely to suffer from both depression and anxiety.

The combined effects on mental and physical health paint a devastating picture of the quality of life for those who are food insecure.

What is the most food insecure country?

There are people in every country who experience food insecurity. However, the magnitude of these issues is far greater in some countries than others.

According to our 2020 Global Hunger Index, these are the current top 10 hungriest countries.

10. Nigeria - Inequality plays a huge role in food insecurity in Nigeria. In regions such as Lagos, child mortality is around 3%. However, in the Kebbi state, 66% of children are stunted due to malnutrition and the mortality rate jumps to 25%.

9. Afghanistan - Afghanistan has been devastated by drought in recent years. However, the countries plentiful natural resources, as well as its engaged government, gives hope that food security will greatly improve. This will be achieved through interventions targeting gender equality and the effects of climate change.

8. Lesotho - 70% of the population of Lesotho rely on subsistence farming for their food and livelihood. After devastating droughts in recent years, crop failures led to a surge in acute levels of food insecurity as a huge portion of the population was affected.

7. Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone has made huge strides in improving food stability since the turn of the century. Despite these strides, 26% of the population of Sierra Leone still faces chronic hunger.

6. Liberia - Much of the food insecurity in Liberia stems from difficulties relating to the country's 13-year civil war, which ended in 2001. Today, 16% of families in Liberia are food insecure.

5. Mozambique - Mozambique had made great improvements in food security at points in the last decade. Unfortunately, Mozambique re-entered the list of the ten hungriest countries in 2020, with nearly one-third of Mozambicans facing chronic hunger.

4.Haiti - Haiti remains the hungriest country in the Western hemisphere, making very limited progress over the last 20 years. Political instability and a devastating string of natural disasters has made this progress difficult to advance.

3. Madagascar - This is the first of three countries to be classified as having 'alarming' food insecurity. A large increase in undernourishment rates in the last 10 years, coupled with the challenges now being faced due to COVID-19, has led the UN to warn that there may soon be unprecedented levels of hunger in Madagascar and neighbouring nations.

2. Timor-leste- One-third of the people in Timor-leste suffer from food insecurity. A combination of issues relating to access, availability and quality of food available has meant that more than half of the children in Timor-leste are stunted.

1. Chad - Climate change and the need for emergency food assistance in Chad have contributed to widespread food insecurity. Ranking in the top three hungriest countries for the last three years, Chad's levels of undernourishment, stunting and child mortality paint a sombre picture of the world's hungriest nation.

Who is most at risk of food insecurity?

Food insecurity can impact all sections of society but there are certain groups who are more likely to be impacted.

Women: Higher food prices hurt mostly the poorest of the poor, especially the landless poor and female-headed households in both urban and rural areas. Unaffordable food prices force families to choose which family member (mother, child or key labourer) should pay the price in terms of reduced health care, education or food consumption. Unfortunately, all too often it is women who are chosen.

Small-scale farmers: Small-scale farmers are often most prone to the damaging effect that climate change can have on food security. These farmers are reliant on predictable climate patterns to provide them the yields they need to eat and support themselves financially. Fluctuations in these patterns and increasingly frequent climate disasters can leave farmers, who often lack significant capital or an alternative means to a livelihood, facing acute food insecurity.

Urban poor: According to the FAO, when economic crises strike it is the urban poor who can be most affected. This is due, in part, to the fact that they are most likely to suffer unemployment, which can be a major barrier to accessing the food they need.

How can we prevent food insecurity?

Food insecurity is a terrible reality that is facing millions of people but there are steps that we can take, both as individuals and as a collective, to reduce food insecurity and improve the quality of life of those currently affected.
Building climate change resilience
Climate change and climate disasters are becoming increasingly devastating for those affected. Small farmers across our countries of work have experienced an increasing number of such events, including floods and droughts, which put their food supply and livelihoods at risk. By helping farmers develop more sustainable and resilient agricultural practices, we can fight back against climate change. Diversifying crop production, improving irrigation and promoting sustainability can lessen the impact of climate disasters, while helping overall food production to increase.
Address inequalities of hunger
The impacts of conflict and hunger are fundamentally gendered. Women in food-insecure regions frequently report experiencing gender-based violence as a direct or indirect result of conflict. These experiences are closely tied to their responsibilities for the production, collection and preparation of food. The unequal allocation of food is just an example of the discrimination women and girls face in crises. By addressing this discrimination in both food and educational programmes, we can help create a safer, more food secure world for women and girls.
Conflict-sensitive relief
Conflict is the primary driver of food insecurity in the world, and the greatest threat to a more stable, prosperous and food-secure future. By creating conflict-sensitive approaches, and ensuring that programmes do not further exacerbate conflict, we can effectively prevent food insecurity from affecting those most in need. This requires a deep understanding of conflict dynamics at national and local levels, how they interact and shape one another, and how they can change. Crucially, it also requires an awareness of how programmes can influence a conflict environment, and a willingness to act on this and adapt approaches where necessary.

What is the role of the government in food security?

Governments can play a key role in improving the food security of its citizens. A great example of this can be seen in Kenya. Concern are working in partnership with the Kenyan government, who have adopted a CMAM (Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition) Surge approach and implemented its ideals into government-run health systems.

Through this approach, seasonal spikes in malnutrition are anticipated so that relief can be provided quickly and effectively where needed. This pro-active approach leads to the improvement of food security for those most vulnerable.

What is the role of private organisations in food security?

Private organisations can have an enormous impact on food insecurity. A great example of this is Concern's partnership with Kerry Group, who are helping to support our RAIN (Realigning Agriculture to Improve Nutrition) programme.

The RAIN programme is making lasting improvements to food security in Tahoua Region of Niger, West Africa. Currently in the final year of the four-year programme, the work being done in Niger builds on the success that Concern and Kerry Group had achieved with the same programme in Zambia.

The programme can help diversify and improve the nutritional quality of available diets, while also increasing food production. Crucially, the programme also targets the inequalities of food security with a focus on those who are most vulnerable, particularly women and girls. In addition, the programme is based on the use of sustainable agriculture, which can help to reduce the climate impact of farming and ultimately, to protect the means of food production for future generations.

Find out more about our health and nutrition programmes as we work to end extreme poverty, whatever it takes.

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Hundreds of millions of people are food insecure. Find out why and how you can help them restore food security.

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Veterans have poorer mental health than Australians overall. We could be serving them better

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Veterans have poorer mental health than Australians overall. We could be serving them better

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How we came to love Australia Day: More than an excuse for a long weekend

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How we came to love Australia Day: More than an excuse for a long weekend

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Australia Day has become a day of national pride - but only in the past two decades. Jon Ovington

Some 224 years ago on January 26, the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove. Just 1500 people disembarked with nearly 800 of them convicts. The date saw the beginning of the British penal colony, then known as New South Wales.

But while there's been something to commemorate for 224 years, the celebration of "Australia Day" itself is far, far more recent; more recent than most Australians would suspect.

The new world

For the first 20 years of the colony's existence, Australia Day was not even commemorated. The colonists celebrated the King's birthday, Easter and Christmas, but January 26 passed without notice.

By the 1820s in Sydney, it became the occasion for dinners at Government House, where officials proclaimed the arrival of "a new Britannia in another world". Outside, the people indulged in leisure activities such as sprinting races, horse races and sailing regattas.

For most of the 19th century, no other colony paid any notice to January 26; after all, it was a Sydney event. Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia all commemorated the date of their own colony's founding.

When Australia celebrated its centenary of settlement in 1888, the day was a reminder of an uncomfortable truth. Australia was founded by convicts, and there was then much embarrassment over the convict stain.

Only in the lead-up to federation in 1901, and in its immediate aftermath, did "Foundation Day" (as it was then known) become more significant. But even then, it was only commemorated by a few fervent nationalists in Victoria.

A new day

The first Anzac Day in 1916 immediately became a more significant day than January 26, largely because the Anzac legend offered a story of Australians fighting courageously for the British Empire.

In 1938, with the sesquicentenary of British settlement, January 26 became known as Australia Day. For the first time, the government hired actors to re-enact Governor Arthur Phillip 's landing at Sydney Cove.

A group of Aborigines were bused in from western NSW. Dressed in gum leaves and football shorts and holding spears, they retreated into the bush as Phillip came ashore. It was a piece of historical fiction if ever there was one.

In that year, the Aborigines Progressive Association declared Australia Day a day of mourning because it represented the beginning of cultural loss and dispossession. They demanded their rights as citizens. This was the first step in marking out a division that even today, still haunts Australia day.

Apathy and marching bands

It was not until after World War II that the first Australia Day Council was set up by the Victorian government. And by the 1960s, when it was clear Britain would soon join the European Economic Community, governments of all persuasions began to promote Australia Day. It was a means of promoting Australian identity and social cohesion in a society in which non-British immigration was increasing quickly.

The first Australian of the Year was awarded in 1960, but the day was still plagued by apathy. In 1964, on Australia Day in Sydney, the government organised a parade, conscripting marching bands and the armed services to march to Hyde Park where the band played God Save the Queen, Land of Hope and Glory, and Advance Australia Fair. But marchers and musicians outnumbered the spectators.

There was still little popular enthusiasm or passion for commemorating the day. In 1960, The Australia Day Council even sent a message to churches asking ministers and priests to devote special prayers for the day, in order to imbue it with "religious significance".

Some celebrated but overall, even into the 1970s and 1980s, Australia Day could not claim the mantle of Australia's national day.

Invasion day

In 1988, the bicentenary of British settlement, many indigenous Australians boycotted the event because they argued that Australia Day was not for them.

It was instead "Invasion Day", the day that ushered in the destruction of their societies, hardly a cause for celebration. The debate raged throughout the bicentenary year.

While this dilemma has not been solved, Australia Day has taken on a much greater importance since the early 1990s. There has been less division and criticism, and a more popular, enthusiastic embrace of the day.

Immigration, patriotism and convict pride

Flickr/Rule17_

So how has Australia Day suddenly become such a prominent day in the Australian calendar?

First, in 1994, the Australian government ended the practice of holding a public holiday on the closest Monday and made the holiday on January 26. This ended criticism that Australia Day was just an excuse for a barbecue and a long weekend.

But also, our convict past is no longer an embarrassment. There has been a slow, swelling surge of patriotism since the onset of the republic debate in the early 1990s, the election of the Howard conservative government in 1996, and the threat of terrorism after the September 11 attacks.

We've seen the introduction of an Australia Day honours system. We've seen citizenship and citizenship ceremonies take on greater meaning. Australia day is now successfully put forward as a day of unity for the country's migrants.

By 1999, it was possible for an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper to proclaim that Australia Day had become our national day.

Blind to history?

When I watched Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard deliver her Australia day speech last year, I began to see some of the things that have changed.

Australia Day, she said, is a day when we remember that we belong to "the Australian family", that we are "bound together in a love of country".

Julia Gillard's sentiments are noble ones but they also point to the way in which Australia Day has been cut free from its history. There is no mention of historical founders or historical moments, no mention of our convict beginnings, no Phillip, no Sydney Cove.

No mention of what was done and said on that day. Nor is there any mention that there are still many Australians who are divided over Australia Day.

More reflection needed

Historian Manning Clark spoke publicly on every Australia Day from the early 1970s until his death in 1991, and almost always ended his talk by reminding his audience that Australia was still to come to terms with its past.

So this Australia Day, I would ask that we use the occasion for reflection on Australia's history. Not to celebrate Australia Day as if it were floating free from the historical moment that gave it birth or just as a vehicle for celebrating the country itself. But rather to think more deeply about our history and what this day represents - for all our citizens, indigenous and non-indigenous.

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More than an excuse for a long weekend - how we came to love Australia Day

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Some 224 years ago on January 26, the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove. Just 1500 people disembarked with nearly 800 of them convicts. The date saw the beginning of the British penal colony, then known as New South Wales.

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Article: Housing delays, lack of support services to blame amid WA homeless crisis

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Article: Housing delays, lack of support services to blame amid WA homeless crisis

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Claudette’s cousin was the ‘last person’ she expected to die on a Perth street. Her story is far from uncommon

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Claudette Smith is one of almost 1,000 people estimated to be homeless in greater Perth. Advocates say that despite the pipeline of social housing underway, other solutions are needed to address the crisis.

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The environment in 2050: flooded cities, forced migration – and the Amazon turning to savannah

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The environment in 2050: flooded cities, forced migration – and the Amazon turning to savannah

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ood morning. Here is the shipping forecast for midday, 21 June, 2050. Seas will be rough, with violent storms and visibility ranging from poor to very poor for the next 24 hours. The outlook for tomorrow is less fair."

All being well, this could be a weather bulletin released by the Met Office and broadcast by the BBC in the middle of this century. Destructive gales may not sound like good news, but they will be among the least of the world's problems in the coming era of peak climate turbulence. With social collapse a very real threat in the next 30 years, it will be an achievement in 2050 if there are still institutions to make weather predictions, radio transmitters to share them and seafarers willing to listen to the archaic content.

I write this imaginary forecast with an apology to Tim Radford, the former Guardian science editor, who used the same device in 2004 to open a remarkably prescient prediction on the likely impacts of global warming on the world in 2020.

Journalists generally hate to go on record about the future. We are trained to report on the very recent past, not gaze into crystal balls. On those occasions when we have to venture ahead of the present, most of us play it safe by avoiding dates that could prove us wrong, or quoting others.

Radford allowed himself no such safe distance or equivocation in 2004, which we should remember as a horribly happy year for climate deniers. George W Bush was in the White House, the Kyoto protocol had been recently zombified by the US Congress, the world was distracted by the Iraq war and fossil fuel companies and oil tycoons were pumping millions of dollars into misleading ads and dubious research that aimed to sow doubt about science.

Radford looked forward to a point when global warming was no longer so easy to ignore. Applying his expert knowledge of the best science available at the time, he predicted 2020 would be the year when the planet started to feel the heat as something real and urgent.

"We're still waiting for the Earth to start simmering," he wrote back in that climate-comfortable summer of 2004. "But by 2020 the bubbles will be appearing."

The heat of the climate movement is certainly less latent. In the past year, the world has seen Greta Thunberg's solo school strikes morph into a global movement of more than six million demonstrators; Extinction Rebellion activists have seized bridges and blocked roads in capital cities; the world has heard ever more alarming warnings from UN scientists, David Attenborough and the UN envoy for climate action, Mark Carney; dozens of national parliaments and city councils have declared climate emergencies; and the issue has risen further to the fore in the current UK general election than any before it. With only weeks to go until 2020, the bubbles of climate anxiety are massing near the surface.

Radford's most precise predictions relate to the science. Writing after the record-breaking UK heat of 2003, he warned such scorching temperatures would become the norm. "Expect summer 2020 to be every bit as oppressive." How right he was. Since then, the world has sweltered through the 10 hottest years in history. The UK registered a new high of 38.7C this July, which was the planet's warmest month since measurements began.

Hostile world: tackling forest fires in China. Photograph: Costfoto/Barcroft Media

He also correctly anticipated how much more hostile this would make the climate - with increasingly ferocious storms (for the first time on record, there have been category 5 hurricanes, such as Dorian and Harvey, for four years in a row), intensifying forest fires (consider the devastating blazes in Siberia and the Amazon this year, or California and Lapland in 2018) and massive bleaching of coral reefs (which is happening with growing frequency across most of the world). All of this has come to pass, as have Radford's specific predictions of worsening floods in Bangladesh, desperate droughts in southern Africa, food shortages in the Sahel and the opening up of the northwest passage due to shrinking sea ice (the huge cruise liner, Crystal Serenity, is among the many ships that have sailed through the Bering Strait in recent years - a route that was once deemed impossible by even the most intrepid explorers).

A couple of his predictions were slightly premature (the snows on Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya have not yet disappeared, though a recent study said they will be gone before future generations get a chance to see them), but overall, Radford's vision of the world in 2020 was remarkably accurate, which is important because it confirms climate science was reliable even in 2004. It is even more precise today, which is good news in terms of anticipating the risks, but deeply alarming when we consider just how nasty scientists expect the climate to become in our lifetime. Unless emissions are slashed over the next decade, a swarm of wicked problems are heading our way.

How wicked? Well, following Radford's example, let us consider what the world will look like in 2050 if humanity continues to burn oil, gas, coal and forests at the current rate.

The difference will be visible from space. By the middle of the 21st century, the globe has changed markedly from the blue marble that humanity first saw in wondrous colour in 1972. The white northern ice-cap vanishes completely each summer, while the southern pole will shrink beyond recognition. The lush green rainforests of the Amazon, Congo and Papua New Guinea are smaller and quite possibly enveloped in smoke. From the subtropics to the mid-latitudes, a grimy-white band of deserts has formed a thickening ring around the northern hemisphere.

Coastlines are being reshaped by rising sea levels. Just over 30cm at this stage - well short of the 2 metres that could hit in 2100 - but still enough to swamp unprotected stretches of land from Miami and Guangdong to Lincolnshire and Alexandria. High tides and storm surges periodically blur the boundaries between land and sea, making the roads of megacities resemble the canals of Venice with increasing frequency.

On the ground, rising temperatures are changing the world in ways that can no longer be explained only by physics and chemistry. The increasingly hostile weather is straining social relations and disrupting economics, politics and mental health.

Generation Greta is middle aged. Their teenage fears of the complete extinction of the human race have not yet come to pass, but the risk of a breakdown of civilisation is higher than at any previous time in history - and rising steadily. They live with a level of anxiety their grandparents could have barely imagined.

The climate activist Greta Thunberg leads a school strike outside of the Swedish Parliament in 2018. Photograph: Michael Campanella/The Guardian

The world in 2050 is more hostile and less fertile, more crowded and less diverse. Compared with 2019, there are more trees, but fewer forests, more concrete, but less stability. The rich have retreated into air-conditioned sanctums behind ever higher walls. The poor - and what is left of other species - is left exposed to the ever harsher elements. Everyone is affected by rising prices, conflict, stress and depression.

This is a doorway into peak climate turbulence. Global heating passed the 1.5C mark a couple of years earlier and is now accelerating towards 3C, or possibly even 4C, by the end of the century. It feels as if the dial on a cooker has been turned from nine o'clock to midnight. Los Angeles, Sydney, Madrid, Lisbon and possibly even Paris endure new highs in excess of 50C. London's climate resembles Barcelona's 30 years earlier. Across the world, droughts intensify and extreme heat becomes a fact of life for 1.6bn city dwellers, eight times more than in 2019. For a while, marathons, World Cups and Olympics were moved to the winter to avoid the furnace-like heat in many cities. Now they are not held at all. It is impossible to justify the emissions and the world is no longer in the mood for games.

Extreme weather is the overriding concern of all but a tiny elite. It wreaks havoc everywhere, but the greatest misery is felt in poorer countries. Dhaka, Dar es Salaam and other coastal cities are hit almost every year by storm surges and other extreme sea-level incidents that used to occur only once a century. Following the lead set by Jakarta, several capitals have relocated to less-exposed regions. But floods, heatwaves, droughts and fires are increasingly catastrophic. Healthcare systems are struggling to cope. The economic costs cripple poorly prepared financial institutions. Insurance companies refuse to provide cover for natural disasters. Insecurity and desperation sweep through populations. Governments struggle to cope.

"By 2050, if we fail to act, many of the most damaging, extreme weather events we have seen in recent years will become commonplace," warns Michael Mann, the director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. "In a world where we see continual weather disasters day after day (which is what we'll have in the absence of concerted action), our societal infrastructure may well fail ... We won't see the extinction of our species, but we could well see societal collapse."

Huge waves at Porthcawl, Wales: there will be more extreme storms and longer droughts. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

Adding to the anxiety is the erratic temperature of the planet. Instead of rising smoothly it jolts upwards, because tipping points - once the stuff of scientific nightmares - are reached one after another: methane release from permafrost; a die-off of the tiny marine organisms that sequestered billions of tonnes of carbon; the dessication of tropical forests. People have come to realise how interconnected the world's natural life-support systems are. As one falls, another is triggered - like dominos or the old board game, Mouse Trap. In some cases, they amplify one another. More heat means more forest fires, which dries out more trees, which burn more easily, which releases more carbon, which pushes global temperatures higher, which melts more ice, which exposes more of the Earth to sunlight, which warms the poles, which lowers the temperature gradient with the equator, which slows ocean currents and weather systems, which results in more extreme storms and longer droughts. It is also now clear that positive climate feedbacks are not limited to physics, but stretch to economics, politics and psychology. The Amazon is turning into a savannah because the loss of forest is weakening rainfall, which makes harvests lower, which gives farmers an economic motivation to clear more land to make up for lost production, which means more fires and less rain.

On our current course, carbon concentrations in the atmosphere will pass 550 parts per million by midcentury, up from around 400ppm today. Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, explains how this stacks the odds in favour of disaster.

"By 2050, we'd be seeing events that are far more frequent and/or far stronger than we humans have ever experienced before, are occurring both simultaneously and in sequence."

Her greatest concern is that food production and water supply systems could buckle under the strain, with dire humanitarian consequences in areas that are already vulnerable.

Generation Greta live with a level of anxiety their grandparents could barely have imagined

Hunger will rise, perhaps calamitously. The United Nations' International Panel on Climate Change expects food production to decline by 2% to 6% in each of the coming decades because of land-degradation, droughts, floods and sea-level rise. The timing could not be worse. By 2050, the global population is projected to rise to 9.7 billion, which is more than two billion more people to feed than today.

When crops fail and starvation threatens, people are forced to fight or flee. Between 50 and 700 million people will be driven from their homes by midcentury as a result of soil degradation alone, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) estimated last year. Fires, floods and droughts will prompt many others to migrate within and across borders. So will the decline of mountain ice, which is a source of meltwater for a quarter of the world's population. The poorest will be worst affected, though they have the least responsibility for the climate crisis. For the US author and environmentalist, Bill McKibben, this injustice will make the greatest impact in 2050.

"Forcing people to move from their homes by the hundreds of millions may do the most to disrupt the world. And, of course, it's a deep tragedy, because these are precisely the people who have done the least to cause the problem," he says.

In 2050, climate apartheid goes hand-in-hand with increasingly authoritarian politics. Three decades earlier, worried electorates voted in a generation of populist "strongmen" in the hope they could turn back the clock to a more stable world. Instead, their nationalism made a global solution even harder to achieve. They preferred to focus on the immigration consequences of global heating rather than the carbon-capital causes. When voters realised their mistake, it was too late. The thugocracy refused to give up power. They no longer deny the climate crisis; they use it to justify ever-more repressive measures and ever-wilder efforts to find a technological fix. In the past 20 years, nations have tried volcano mimicking, cloud brightening, albedo modification and carbon dioxide removal. Most were expensive and ineffective. Some made weather circulation even less reliable. Powerful countries now threaten rivals not just with nuclear weapons, but with geo-engineering threats to block sunlight or disrupt rainfall patterns.

This is not an inevitable future. Unlike Radford's prediction for 2020, this vision of 2050 factors in human behaviour, which is more volatile and less predictable than the laws of thermodynamics. Many of the horrors above are already baked into the climate, but our response to them - and each other - is not predetermined. When it comes to the science, the dangers can be substantially reduced if humanity shifts decisively away from business-as-usual behaviour over the next decade. When it comes to the psychology and politics, we can make our situation better immediately if we focus on hope in shared solutions, rather than fears of what we will lose as individuals.

That means putting faith in institutions, warning one another about risks, and treasuring shared eccentricities and traditions - a bit like the shipping forecast.

A storm is certainly brewing. The science is clear on that. The question now is how we face it.

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The environment in 2050: flooded cities, forced migration - and the Amazon turning to savannah

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ood morning. Here is the shipping forecast for midday, 21 June, 2050. Seas will be rough, with violent storms and visibility ranging from poor to very poor for the next 24 hours. The outlook for tomorrow is less fair."

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WATCH: The health and wellbeing of Australian farmers 'Are you bogged mate?'

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WATCH: The health and wellbeing of Australian farmers 'Are you bogged mate?'

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"Are you Bogged Mate?" - the farmer's version of "R U OK?" | Landline

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Foodbank Factsheets (Australian Hunger Relief Charity)

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Foodbank Factsheets (Australian Hunger Relief Charity)

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Foodbank provides essential food and grocery relief to more than one million Australians experiencing food insecurity every month.

The Foodbank Hunger Report 2022 revealed that 2 million households in Australia have run out of food in the last year due to limited finances. This has meant 1.3 million children lived in food insecure households during that time.

Foodbank works with the entire Australian food and grocery sector including farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and retailers who donate and redirect surplus product to us. This enable us to provide over 225,000 meals a day to people in need.

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Join in the conversation on our different social media channels, or subscribe to our Newsletter.

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WATCH: Australia's defence spending is 'nonsense' and 'must be diverted to our veterans'

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WATCH: Australia's defence spending is 'nonsense' and 'must be diverted to our veterans'

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As the country counts down to Australia Day, a council in Western Australia is defending its decision to go it alone.

Fremantle cancels Australia Day festivities, will hold "culturally inclusive" celebration two days later

Move criticised by Government, businesses and Noongar elder Robert Isaacs

Far right groups Reclaim Australia and United Patriots Front plan to protest the decision

The port city of Fremantle will effectively become a litmus test for the #changethedate movement when the local council holds its "culturally inclusive" alternative celebration two days after Australia Day.

"What we're doing is coming up with something that is actually more Australian," Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt told 7.30.

"That actually acknowledges that Australia did not start in 1788."

It has been a highly controversial move, criticised by the Federal Government and Fremantle's business community.

Faced with losing out on one of the biggest trading days of the year, businesses have clubbed together to raise the $50,000 needed to salvage the traditional fireworks display on the 26th.

Visitors and residents now have a choice: the fireworks, which are part of a four-day fiesta called "Australia Week", or the council's alternative event "One Day in Freo" on the 28th.

On top of all that, far right groups Reclaim Australia and the United Patriots Front are planning to converge on Fremantle on Australia Day to protest against what they called "an act of betrayal against Australia".

'Aboriginal support for this decision has been overwhelming'

Despite the backlash, Dr Pettitt maintained the council was showing leadership on an important national issue.

"Aboriginal support for this decision has been, it would be fair to say, to be honest with you, overwhelming," he said.

"Ninety per cent of Aboriginal people I've spoken to have said, 'We're glad you have started this conversation'.

"One Day in Freo is going to be a big family community concert. We really hope it's a celebration of what brings us together."

Noongar man Robert Eggington, executive officer of the Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation, said he was one of a group of about 20 Aboriginal elders and heads of families who had endorsed the council's decision at a meeting last year.

He said Aboriginal people find nothing to celebrate about the day, which marks the arrival of the First Fleet.

"Australia Day being celebrated on the 26th of January means the celebration of history, and in that history Aboriginal people have suffered so greatly," he said.

"I have never celebrated Australia Day in my 60 years."

Mr Eggington will take part in a smoking ceremony at Western Australia's oldest public building, The Round House, ahead of the council's event on the 28th.

"I think white Australia will benefit from the decision that Fremantle Council has made, once it's able to rise above the fear," he said.

"I think we're creating a potential unity for the future by speaking out."

'We need to go forward and don't look back'

Noongar elder and ambassador for the Australia Day WA Council, Robert Isaacs, disagreed.

The former West Australian of the Year said his fellow Indigenous Australians were causing divisions by opposing Australia Day.

"We're one nation of people and we've just got to try and not forget that we need to go forward and don't look back," he said.

Dr Isaacs said hundreds of Aboriginal families attended Perth's Skyworks each year after a "survival concert" in the city centre, and he was scathing about the City of Fremantle's alternative celebration.

"I'm hoping people stand up very strongly and serve a strong message to the council that when it comes to their next election, they vote them out and get Australia Day back to where it belongs, January 26th."

'Council has got a little too far ahead of itself'

Federal Liberal MP Ben Morton felt so strongly about the issue that he took out a full-page advertisement in a local Fremantle newspaper urging residents to support the national celebration.

The member for Tangney was instrumental in forcing the council to reinstate its citizenship ceremonies on January 26, which it had also planned to move to the 28th until the Commonwealth pulled rank.

"Fremantle council, in my view, should be sticking to its core business of making our parks nice and clean and picking up the rubbish," Mr Morton said.

"But they're wanting to create a national debate. And I just think the council here has got a little bit too far ahead of itself in that regard.

"Perhaps rather than getting involved in national political debates, Fremantle council should stick to its knitting."

But Dr Pettitt pointed out that on top of January 26 causing discomfort for Aboriginal people, it had little relevance to WA.

"As a West Australian, I've always found Australia Day to be odd. It is New South Wales day. In terms of the relevance to Western Australia, it's a pretty long bow to draw," he said.

'We feel we need to support it'

On the streets of Fremantle, views were polarised.

Karl Bullers of the city's National Hotel, who has contributed to the festivities on the 26th, was keen to stay out of the politics.

"I can see both sides of the argument," he said.

"To us, it's not about the politics, it's about the community and the business side of it.

"This is a national public holiday and we feel we need to support it.

"The whole of Australia is facing tough economic times so it's very important for us to have these events to bring people into Fremantle."

Just down the road, Tom Forbes of Mills Records said he supported the council's stance.

"I'm definitely going to go down to the One Day event," he said.

"It [Australia Day] definitely should be moved.

"It's basically celebrating the beginning of a genocide in Australia."

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'An act of betrayal': City divided over Australia Day cancellation

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As the country counts down to Australia Day, a council in Western Australia is defending its decision to go it alone.

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LISTEN: RTRfm interview with creators of the Perth 'Shelter Seat' in response to Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas

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LISTEN: RTRfm interview with creators of the Perth 'Shelter Seat' in response to Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas

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The Guerrilla Artists slamming a Perth Lord Mayor candidate and raising the homelessness crisis in Perth

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PIC: Instagram / @heavyduty.wip It's not often Perth wakes up to guerrilla art installations making a ...

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Regional survey 2015: Farming challenges & farmer wellbeing 

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Regional survey 2015: Farming challenges & farmer wellbeing 

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UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger

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UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger

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Alternative opinion: Disarmament and demilitarisation by the Australian Greens Party. 

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Alternative opinion: Disarmament and demilitarisation by the Australian Greens Party. 

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​​​​Rural Australia

Drought assistance

In the face of an increasingly variable climate, the Australian Government provides a range of assistance to farmers and primary producers. These measures are aimed at helping farmers prepare for and manage the effects of drought and other challenges.

Farm Finance

Farm Finance is an initiative of the Australian Government comprising four measures designed to build the ongoing financial resilience of farmers who are struggling with high levels of debt.

Agricultural Cooperation

Australia - China Agriculture Cooperation Agreement

The ACACA programme has been established to enhance agricultural cooperation between Australia and China and provide funding for a broad range activities including, but not limited to technical exchanges, training programs, conferences, missions, workshops, information exchanges and/or programs, officer secondments, industry scoping missions, feasibility studies.

On-going and recently closed grants and funding rounds

Carbon Farming Future Program

Filling the Research Gap

Action on the Ground

Extension and Outreach

Conservation tillage refundable tax offset

Carbon Farming Initiative

Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture

Natural Resource Management Grants

Other grants and funding opportunities

You can find more grant and funding opportunities from the following websites:

Information about grants awarded can be found at Innovation grants.

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In the face of an increasingly variable climate, the Australian Government provides a range of assistance to farmers and primary producers. These measures are aimed at helping farmers prepare for and manage the effects of drought and other challenges.

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Aus Government Fact Sheet: Food insecurity

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Aus Government Fact Sheet: Food insecurity

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Triple j's Hottest 100 is moving to a new date and here's why

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Triple j's Hottest 100 is moving to a new date and here's why

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You heard right, our biggest music celebration of the year has a new date! On Saturday 27 January 2018 we'll be counting down the Hottest 100 songs of the year, as voted by you. Then, we'll back it up on Sunday with the songs that just missed out, the Hottest 200.

Welcome to the Hottest 100 Weekend. It's the countdown you love, made bigger!

triple j is making this move after hearing directly from you. Heaps of you took part in our online survey as part of our review of the date of the Hottest 100. (You can read more about that process below.) You told us how much you love the countdown and most of you are up for a new day. We all agreed that the Hottest 100 shouldn't be part of a debate about the day it's on. The only debate should be about the songs (" Ya joking shoulda been higher ").

triple j will be freed up to celebrate Australia Day as its own event too. We have some new programming planned for 26 January (more on that later).

So, get your crew together and make sure you keep the 4th weekend in January free, 'cause the Hottest 100 Weekend is gonna be huge.

We're sure you've got tonnes of questions, so let's answer them.

What are the key dates for my diary?

Tues 12 Dec 2017: Voting opens
Mon 22 Jan 2018: Voting closes
Fri 26 Jan 2018: Australia Day
Sat 27 Jan 2018: Hottest 100
Sun 28 Jan 2018: Hottest 200

Why did you choose the fourth weekend of January?

We went with the fourth weekend of January because we wanted to keep all the best bits you love about the Hottest 100 - the music and being with your mates on a day that most people have off - and still host it at the same time in summer you're used to. It also means we can follow up that weekend with the 200-101 countdown.

Hasn't the Hottest 100 always been on 26 January?

No, the Hottest 100 has been held on a few different dates in the past so it's not the first time it's moved around. The first ever countdown was held on 5 March, 1989 and the countdown didn't regularly match up with 26 January until 1998. In fact, the 2004 countdown was on 25 January. So, the date of the countdown has moved around and though the Hottest 100 has mostly been held on Australia Day, it's not about Australia Day.

Why is the Hottest 100 moving?

It's fair to say there's been increasing debate around 26 January and there are a lot of perspectives on what it means to different Australians. As the public broadcaster representing all Australians, triple j and the ABC doesn't take a view in the discussions.

However, in recent years the Hottest 100 has become a symbol in the debate about Australia Day. The Hottest 100 wasn't created as an Australia Day celebration. It was created to celebrate your favourite songs of the past year. It should be an event that everyone can enjoy together - for both the musicians whose songs make it in and for everyone listening in Australia and around the world. This is really important to us.

Whether you're listening in Busselton, Bundy, Alice or Aspen. From Coober Pedy to Caz's pool, tuning in from a backyard BBQ or streaming from overseas, in the city or on the farm; everyone is invited to join the party.

What did people have to say about the date of the Hottest 100?

Your voice in this decision is as important as ours - you are the ones who listen, vote, and tune in so we wanted to hear from you. We've learnt all the way through that this is a complex issue and there have been a lot of different perspectives on what triple j should do. When we asked how you felt about triple j's Hottest 100 being held on January 26, we received tens of thousands of responses to our questionnaire - 64,990 responses to be precise.

An independent research company analysed a representative sample of these answers, from people of all walks of life, so we could better understand what you thought about the date of the Hottest 100.

We learnt that the majority of you (60%) were in favour of moving the Hottest 100 to a different date.

To validate this result, we did a second online survey with 759 18-30 year olds who had listened to triple j at some point, using the same independent research company. Again, the majority (55%) were in favour of moving the date, 24% were against moving the date, and 22% didn't care.

We expected a lot of different opinions, this is a complicated issue with no one correct answer. However, it came across loud and clear that we all agreed it is the music that makes the Hottest 100 special. Celebrating our favourite songs of the year with our mates and the rest of the country is what's most important for the Hottest 100.

Ultimately, our research and your feedback shows that most of you are behind a move for the Hottest 100. For those that don't want the date to move, we have heard you. We've listened closely to how all of you felt about the Hottest 100 and responded with what's the right choice, right now, that reflects the variety of complicated views. And it's a move backed up by more than those survey results.

Who else did you speak to?

Over the past 12 months, we've been speaking to heaps of different people who would be affected by this decision, including musicians, community leaders, representative groups, triple j staff, ABC groups, and a wide range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media, language groups, and many of the Indigenous artists featured on triple j.

There were a lot of different perspectives about 26 January, and different ways to approach Australia Day. But when it came to the Hottest 100, it was clear most people want the Hottest 100 to be on its own day when everyone can celebrate together.

So, what will triple j be doing on Australia Day, 26 January?

Highlighting the diversity of Australia. We'll be broadcasting a bunch of special programming that covers some of the day's biggest events, like the Young Australian of the Year, citizenship ceremonies, the Australia vs England One Day Series, Yabun Festival, and much more. Plus, we'll be spinning nothing but homegrown music all day long, including the best live Australian music.

This way, both the Hottest 100 and Australia Day get the coverage they deserve as separate events.

What about future years?

For now, we're focussing on the 2018 Hottest 100 Weekend and our new Australia Day coverage across the fourth weekend of January. It is just one day's move, but it's a big change for everyone to get used to. In 2019 the Hottest 100 Weekend will again be the fourth weekend of January.

Will you continue to work with AIME?

Yep. As we've done since 2015, we're partnering with AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) to raise funds to help support Indigenous kids through high school and into university, training and employment. Last Hottest 100, you helped raise a quarter of a million dollars, which meant AIME could increase its program to 7,000 students. Stay tuned, we'll be announcing more details about our 2018 partnership soon.

So, what is this year's #1 song going to be?

Well, that's over to you! Start getting your playlists sorted; voting for the 2018 Hottest 100 countdown opens Tuesday 12 December.

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You heard right, our biggest music celebration of the year has a new date! On Saturday 27 January 2018 we'll be counting down the Hottest 100 songs of the year, as voted by you. Then, we'll back it up on Sunday with the songs that just missed out, the Hottest 200.

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Australian farmers among the world's least subsidised

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Australian farmers among the world's least subsidised

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Updated March 03, 2014 10:05:22

There's been intense debate about the Federal Government's refusal to subsidise General Motors and SPC Ardmona. And there are still questions about the Government stepping in to assist Qantas.

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has said the age of entitlement is over.

On ABC TV's Q&A program, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull was asked whether the Government's hard line on subsidising the manufacturing industry also applied to agriculture.

He said: "Our farmers are among the least subsidised in the world, the least supported in the world."

ABC Fact Check examines the evidence on agricultural subsidies.

International comparisons

A report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development last year, ' Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2013', looks at agricultural policies in its 34 member countries and a range of emerging economies, including the important agro-food markets of Brazil, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine. These 47 countries account for almost 80 per cent of global agricultural output, according to the report, which covers the period 2010 to 2012.

In the report, the OECD measures subsidies by using a "producer support estimate". This measures the total subsidies farmers receive from government as a percentage of farm revenue.

Sorry, this video has expired

The report shows Australia has a producer support estimate of 3 per cent, making it the second lowest in the OECD, and the third lowest in the report. The OECD average is 19 per cent and of the 47 countries in the report the average is 17 per cent.

The only OECD country with lower subsidies than Australia is New Zealand, and the only non-OECD country is the Ukraine.

Chile and South Africa have the same levels of subsidies as Australia. Countries in the southern hemisphere "are characterised by consistently low and stable levels of support," the report said.

The report says Australia's agricultural policy has undergone "continuous and significant" reform since the 1980s.

There has been a reduction of market price support to zero, which means government no longer provides commodity-wide assistance to producers of sugar or cotton. It says the subsidies have instead moved to "targeted direct payments".

The targeted payments listed in the OECD report include payments to farms for relief from natural disasters, income tax averaging and irrigation programs.

From 2010 to 2012 there were no significant drought relief payments to farmers, which in previous years had increased the amount of subsidies paid by government.

'One of the world's most efficient'

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade backs up the claims made in the OECD report. "Australia provides agricultural produce to world markets without the high levels of financial support, protection and other trade-distorting practices used by some countries," it said. "This has resulted in Australia being one of the world's most efficient agricultural producers."

Mick Keogh, executive director of the the Australian Farm Institute, which acts on behalf of farmers and researches agriculture policy, says the OECD report uses national reports provided by each country, and is the most valued and comprehensive report for comparing agricultural subsidies.

Alan Oxley, former Australian ambassador to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which evolved into the World Trade Organisation, says the OECD report is the most authoritative on global figures, and is used by the WTO. "It's really the only set of global figures because some countries, particularly those within the EU, can be guarded about sharing information on agricultural subsidies," he said.

The Productivity Commission's ' Trade and Assistance Review 2011-12' also says it estimates "assistance to the sector overall has declined to around 3 per cent".

Mr Keogh says agricultural subsidies may also be measured by "tax support estimates", which calculate government subsidies as a percentage of tax paid, or "consumer support estimates", which are used mainly by the United States when the government subsidises the price of food.

The verdict

Australian farmers are among the least subsidised in the 47 countries examined in the OECD report. Mr Turnbull is correct.

Sources

Malcolm Turnbull, ABC Q & A, "Sochi Inquiries & Subsidies, February 22, 2014

OECD, Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2013, OECD Countries and Emerging Economies, September 2014

Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Agriculture and the WTO

Australian Government, Productivity Commission, "Trade and Assistance Review 2011-12"

Topics: federal-government, liberal-party-of-australia, turnbull-malcolm, agribusiness, rural, farm-labour, australia

First posted February 14, 2014 07:00:00

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Turnbull correct: Australian farmers among least subsidised

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As debate continues over the Government's refusal to subsidise General Motors and SPC Ardmona, Malcolm Turnbull was asked whether the hard line on subsidising manufacturing also applied to agriculture. Our farmers are among the least subsidised in the world, the least supported in the world, Mr Turnbull said.

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Counter argument: Don't panic! Australia has excellent food security

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Counter argument: Don't panic! Australia has excellent food security

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COVID-19 has taken Australia and the world by surprise. Coming after severe droughts in eastern Australia, concerns have been raised about Australian food security.

The concerns are understandable, but they are misplaced.

Despite temporary shortages of some food items in supermarkets caused by an unexpected surge in demand, Australia does not have a food security problem.

An Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences study released today outlines why Australia is one of the most food-secure countries in the world.

Supermarket shelves reflect a surge in demand

Uncertainties around the impacts of COVID-19 have triggered a rapid increase in purchasing by consumers seeking to stockpile a range of items, resulting in disruption to stocks of some basic food items.

This disruption is temporary and not an indication of food shortages.

Rather, it is a result of logistics taking time to adapt to an unexpected surge in purchasing.

We are highly food-secure

Food security refers to the physical availability of food, and to whether people have the resources and opportunity to get reliable economic access to it.

Australia ranks among the most food secure nations in the world, and is in the top 10 countries for food affordability and availability.

Australians are wealthy by global standards and can choose from diverse and high-quality foods from all over the world at affordable prices.

Most Australians can afford to purchase healthy food that meets their nutritional needs, and as a result, Australia has the world's equal-lowest level of undernourishment.

We import only 11% of our food

Most food and beverages consumed in Australia are produced in Australia.

But not everything that Australians like to eat is produced here. So we import about 11% of the food and beverages we consume by value.

The imports are mainly processed products (including coffee beans, frozen vegetables, seafood products, and beverages), along with small amounts of out-of-season fresh food.
Imported products account for 11% of expenditure on food and beverages
It is possible that disruptions to food imports from COVID-19 (or something else) could result in temporary shortages of some products, restricting consumer choice in the same way as cyclones have restricted access to Australian bananas.

It would be unlikely to have a material impact on food security - in terms of ensuring a sufficient supply of healthy and nutritious food, even if higher prices for or limited availability of specific products disappoints or inconveniences some consumers.

Australia produces more food than it consumes

Australia typically exports about 70% of agricultural production.

The level of exports varies across sectors. Some of our largest industries, such as beef and wheat, are heavily export-focused. Others, like horticulture, pork and poultry, sell most of their products in Australia, with an emphasis on supplying fresh produce.
Most Australian agricultural production is export oriented
Australia's large exports, even in severe drought years, act as a shock absorber for domestic supply.

They allow domestic consumption to remain stable while exports vary, absorbing the ups and downs associated with Australia's variable climate and seasonal conditions.
Domestic food consumption is stable, while agricultural exports vary
The outlook for rain is good

After a hot and dry 2019 and widespread drought conditions in NSW and Queensland, above-average recent rains and positive forecasts provide the basis for the best start to Australia's agricultural production season in years.

While current prospects for winter crops are good, more rain is required for these to be realised.

The Bureau is forecasting that grain production is likely to return to close to average levels, with a significant chance of higher production given the good start to the winter cropping season.
Wetter than average conditions are likely across agricultural areas from May to July 2020
For livestock producers, better seasonal conditions provide the opportunity to rebuild herds and flocks following a relatively long period of destocking.

Our access to food is secure

Australia is one of the most food-secure countries in the world, with ample supplies of safe, healthy food. The vast majority of it is produced here in Australia, and domestic production more than meets our needs, even in drought years.

While we import about 11% of our food and beverages, disruptions to these imports would not threaten the food security of most Australians.

The Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences is forecasting a return to close to average levels of grain production, with a significant chance of higher production, given the good start to the winter cropping season.

Read more: Helping farmers in drought distress doesn't help them be the best

The analysis released today explores related issues in more depth, including the contribution of irrigated agriculture to Australian food security, levels of global grain stocks, and the contributions of international trade and Australian exports to food security in other countries.

Australia's agricultural producers do rely on global supply chains and imported inputs. Shortages or disruptions to these inputs have not yet been significant or widespread, but could reduce productivity and profitability.

While action is already in train to address key issues, it will be important for business and government to continue actively monitoring and managing these risks.

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Don't panic: Australia has truly excellent food security

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Almost all of the food we consume in Australia is made in Australia. We export far more than we import.

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Food waste is a growing Australian problem. What is the solution?

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Food waste is a growing Australian problem. What is the solution?

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Food waste: a growing Australian problem

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Up to 1.3 billion tonnes of perfectly edible food is wasted each year. Here’s what we can all do about it.