Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

Fair food for all Australians

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History

In the lead-up to the 2010 Federal Election, the Australian Labor Party committed itself to establishing, for the first time, a National Food Policy for Australia. The process was to be guided by a federal advisory panel on national food policy, which was established by the government following the 2010 election. Based on media reports of discussions between government ministers and the CEOs of major agri-food corporations, members of the fair food movement in Australia could see that the process for developing a national food policy would be dominated by those same big agri-business and retailing interests.

A small group of people from different community food organisations came together in August 2010 to draft a letter to politicians of all parties, welcoming the initiative for a national food policy, but insisting that it be a transparent, inclusive and participatory process, given how vital food and agriculture is to every Australian. This letter was sent out to community members for endorsement, and, as described by AFSA committee member Russ Grayson (see link below), resulted in a surprise deluge of endorsements from individuals, businesses, farmers, community food organisations and academics. The letter was sent in advance of the 2010 election.

Later, a website was developed and AFSA spent the next few months developing its Manifesto, which gave a pre-eminent role to localised food systems. The Manifesto was launched on 10 December 2010, Human Rights Day and Terra Madre Day.

During 2011, AFSA continued to closely monitor the development of the proposed National Food Plan. We, like many other members of the fair food movement across Australia, were concerned by the release of the Issues Paper, which came out for consultation in June 2011. Our response to that Issues Paper, delivered in September 2011, challenged the core ‘business as usual’ assumptions on which the paper was based, as well as strongly contesting the very limited nature of the ‘consultation’ process that the government was following.

Subsequently, in October 2011, we made a call to be included in the Federal Advisory Council for the National Food Plan, dominated by big corporate interests. This call was endorsed by 28 organisations across Australian representing 500,000 people.

At the same time, conscious that the campaign we had embarked on for a fair, democratic, sustainable and resilient food system was going to be a long one, we commenced the process of incorporating the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance as a not-for-profit association. In March 2012 we were incorporated in the ACT under the Associations Incorporations Act 1991 (ACT), with a provisional nine-member management committee.

The Federal government’s National Food Plan Green Paper was released in July 2012 and as feared, has a heavy bias towards big-agri-business and agro-industry interests. Our commentary, released a few days after the green paper came out, described it as a ‘plan for corporate agri-business’; it has now been read over 5,000 times, has been widely shared on social media and republished in several other forums, and has played an important role in shaping the subsequent reception of the green paper. A further period of public ‘consultation’ ensued, however the general consensus amongst food advocacy groups is that the government has not been responsive to community and other stakeholder concerns, and is determined to press ahead with ‘its food plan for industry’. We, together with many other members of the fair food movement, made our views known in a brief submission.

Due both to the unsatisfactory content of the draft National Food Plan, and the limited and perfunctory nature of the ‘consultation’, AFSA resolved to develop an alternative process to establish a People’s Food Plan that reflects the concerns and aspirations of consumers, farmers, community organisations, food businesses and advocacy groups. Unlike the government’s process, the People’s Food Plan process is genuinely open, inclusive and democratic. We want the hard questions to be asked, because we know the scale of the challenges we face and the urgency of the work of transforming our very dysfunctional food system. In embarking on this process we have drawn inspiration from a similar process – the Canadian People’s Food Policy Project – undertaken in Canada during 2009-2011.

The National Food Plan White Paper is set to be launched early in 2013 and AFSA will be working hard to ensure that the growing chorus of passionate voices from across the Australian fair food movement are heard, no matter how hard government and vested interest may try to shut us out. To find out more please feel free to explore this site or Get Involved!

 

Letter to Politicians August 2010 with Endorsements

A History of the AFSA by Russ Grayson July 2011

 

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Latest submissions

Local Laws submission to defend the right to common resources

Last week AFSA made a submission to the Hepburn Shire Council to defend residents’ rights to forage, collect firewood, have more than 20 chooks, and salvage materials from the tip and roadside without need for a permit. We were concerned that these laws originated from overzealous risk management policies rather than residents’ interests. Further, they […]

FSANZ proposes ‘licence to sell lettuce’ – AFSA says NO

On 3 May 2019, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) released an information paper on its proposed approach to a review of food safety standards in the Food Standards Code (the Review). The intention is to create a consistent and up-to-date approach to food safety management with regard to so-called “high-risk horticulture,” which includes a […]

NSW Fresh Food Pricing Parliamentary Inquiry Hearing

On Friday 22 June 2018, AFSA attended the NSW Fresh Food Pricing Parliamentary Inquiry Hearing at Parliament House in Sydney. AFSA was selected and recognised as a key stakeholder in the food system by the parliamentary members in this Upper House inquiry. Tammi Jonas, president of AFSA, and our paralegal Sarah de Wit were welcomed […]

Response to the Proposed Draft Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry

View AFSA’s entire submission here.  The current review of the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Domestic Poultry offers the first opportunity in 15 years to improve the minimum welfare standards for domestic poultry in Australia. It provides the chance to modify Australian standards to reflect current animal welfare science and […]

Poultry Welfare Reforms Fact Sheet

The Codes for animal welfare for poultry are being reviewed for the first time in over 15 years. The result will be one Australia-wide Code on animal welfare for poultry. Two main documents, along with an independent Farmed Bird Science Welfare Review and many supporting papers, have been released for public comment: The Draft Standards […]

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Recent posts

  • Intervention on the Global Biodiversity Framework calls for support to peasants and indigenous peoples’ as stewards of biodversity February 26, 2021
  • Submission to the Independent Review of the Agvet Chemicals regulatory system February 15, 2021
  • Solidarity Sessions 2021 – Tyson Yunkaporta & Tammi Jonas, Wed 3 Feb January 26, 2021
  • Can agriculture stop COVID-21, -22, and -23? Yes, but not by greenwashing agribusiness December 15, 2020
  • 2020 National Committee Report November 3, 2020

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