Imagine a country where one in five households struggles to put food on the table, not just occasionally, but regularly. This isn't a distant reality—it's happening right now in Australia. The 2025 Foodbank Hunger Report reveals a startling truth: 20% of Australian households are severely food insecure, meaning they're skipping meals or entire days of eating. This isn't just about hunger; it's about the growing financial strain on families, individuals, and communities across the nation.
Take Leah Potter, a Darwin resident, for example. After breaking her leg last year, she had to pause work and rely on budget grocery shopping. With a pre-existing disability, she depends on home deliveries, but recently, she noticed something alarming—an additional delivery fee. 'I have a strict budget when I'm not working, and that doesn't change,' she explains. 'When the delivery fee jumped from $10 to $18, I had to cut $8 worth of groceries from my order.' In a time when every dollar counts, such increases can force impossible choices.
Leah isn’t alone. She’s noticed a shift at the Top End soup kitchen she runs. 'We used to see mostly homeless individuals, but now we’re seeing families—people you wouldn’t expect at a homeless kitchen,' she says. And this is the part most people miss: food insecurity isn’t just affecting the unemployed or homeless; it’s reaching middle-income families and working households too.
According to the report, nearly half of renting households and one in five households earning over $91,000 annually experienced food insecurity in the past year. Overall, one in three Australian households—almost 3.5 million—faced food insecurity in the last year, as rising costs continue to squeeze everyday Australians.
But here's where it gets controversial: despite government efforts to address the cost-of-living crisis, such as energy bill relief and Medicare levies, these measures aren’t translating into more food on the table. Foodbank Australia CEO Kylea Tink puts it bluntly: 'Hunger in Australia is now mainstream. The cost-of-living measures didn’t affect what people were putting on the table. It may have helped offset other costs, but the truth is, it didn’t help families eat.'
Foodbank Darwin manager Jack Barrett echoes this sentiment. 'Food insecurity comes in all shapes and forms,' he says. 'It’s about making nutritional sacrifices to stay within budget or skipping meals altogether. Often, it’s parents who go without so their children can eat.' Interestingly, 60% of households using Foodbank services are employed, challenging the stereotype that food insecurity only affects the jobless.
So, what’s the solution? Foodbank is calling on the federal government to introduce tax incentives for farmers, growers, and manufacturers to donate surplus edible produce instead of sending it to landfill. This could significantly increase the amount of donated food available. But is this enough? Should the government do more to directly address food insecurity, or is it up to charities and communities to fill the gap?
As Australians skip meals and worry about their children’s next lunch, the question remains: What will it take to ensure no one goes hungry in a country as wealthy as Australia? Let’s start the conversation—what do you think needs to change? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
