PM Scott Morrison cuts food charity budget by more than $320,000 - just six weeks before Christmas

  • Scott Morrison announced the $323,000 cut would come into affect January 1 
  • An annual Foodbank package of $750,000 will be reduced to $427,000 
  • Charity's chief Brianna Casey said 710,000 mouths relied on Foodbank to eat

By Brooke Rolfe For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 21:15 EST, 11 November 2018 | Updated: 22:48 EST, 11 November 2018

A 're-allocation' of federal funding for food relief charities has cut the budget of the nation's biggest provider of free meals by more than $300,000. 

Thousands of people who rely on Foodbank to survive may soon be left with no choice but to go hungry after Scott Morrison announced the $323,000 cut.

An annual Foodbank package of $750,000 will be reduced to $427,000 come January 1, in a crisis care shake-up announced just six weeks out from Christmas.

The prime minister said the government's $4.8million emergency support allowance would soon be allocated to three meal support charities rather than two.

Thousands of people who rely on Foodbank to survive may soon be left with no choice but to go hungry after Scott Morrison (pictured) announced the $323,000 cut

Thousands of people who rely on Foodbank to survive may soon be left with no choice but to go hungry after Scott Morrison (pictured) announced the $323,000 cut

While funding would be divided between OzHarvest, SecondBite and FoodBank, changes meant 2019 pre-organised programs at the latter would be disrupted.

The charity's chief executive Brianna Casey said the 710,000 mouths that relied on Foodbank to survive were now under serious threat.  

'We're feeding more than 710,000 people a month through Foodbank right now and more than a quarter of those are children,' Ms Casey told ABC News.

'They are mums and dads, the elderly and retirees, university students, people going through a temporary crisis in their life and they need our help by way of food relief.' 

The organisation's KeyStaples program provided pantry essentials to natural disaster-affected people by working with several manufacturers, suppliers and transport providers. 

Staples like rice, flour, cereals and canned good were transported to 2,600 charities and 1,750 schools across the country. 

The charity revealed more than four million Australians, including 1.5million in remote and regional communities, would be 'hurting' as a result of the cuts. 

The charity's chief executive Brianna Casey said the 710,000 mouths that relied on Foodbank to survive were now under serious threat (stock food bank photo)

The charity's chief executive Brianna Casey said the 710,000 mouths that relied on Foodbank to survive were now under serious threat (stock food bank photo)

'We're dumbfounded and extremely disappointed by this pre-Christmas cut that will affect our programs feeding more than 4million hungry Aussies. 

'We urge you to reverse this decision Paul Fletcher. Scott Morrison this is your opportunity to make a difference,' the organisation wrote to Twitter on Sunday. 

The organisation also noted there had been an increase from 46 per cent to 51 per cent in the proportion of food insecure Australians in the past year alone.

'Only 36 per cent of charities are currently meeting the full needs of the people they assist,' a Foodbank poster read. 

'Only 36 per cent of charities are currently meeting the full needs of the people they assist,' a Foodbank poster read

'Only 36 per cent of charities are currently meeting the full needs of the people they assist,' a Foodbank poster read

Just three years ago it was given $1.5million to do the same job it will soon have to do with just $427,000 - the group's third major funding cut since 2014.

Mr Morrison argued the re-allocation of funding would allow for a more evenly spread set of resources, split between the best deliverers of food services.

'We had a competitive process, a tender, on who could best deliver these services, and instead of two organisations there are three,' he said.

Despite the announcement having already been made, Mr Morrison said he would discuss changes with the Social Services Minister to assess if a review was needed.

He added the government would not hesitate on switching up funding allocation again if other agencies proved to be more effective.          

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PM Scott Morrison cuts food charity budget by more than $320,000 just six weeks before Christmas 

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