An alternative to food banks?

Absent

I have found some figures re food banks in Australia and Tasmania , it looks worse than here if you rely on the internet for figures. No idea if that is true or not.

I am however interested to know ' how many ' food banks there are in Australia and Tasmania but I cannot find the answer , do you know please.

But does quoting the number of food banks in other countries make the need for so many here make them more acceptable

When i was growing up schools opened their kitchens and fed children right through the holidays. I remember asking why I couldn't go for a school dinner with some of the other children from my council estate and being told by my mum that they hadn't got a dad who was working. There was an idea then that everyone deserved to be properly fed and supported and it was the duty of local authorities and the government to do so. I think the present system feels like the Victorian era and the deserving and undeserving poor (now known as benefit scroungers).

I was one of those children Trisher. Had to walk a mile and half there, and back again, it was very regimented when you got there and stern faced adults supervising.I would have preferred not to go and hated it, but yes, it did feed children in the school holidays.

We were not allowed to go every day, I think it was 3 times a week.

France has just passed a law to make supermarkets pass on food that would be wasted. Perhaps we need one here.

secure.avaaz.org/en/food_waste_loc/?bkHcnjb&v=61604

www.feedbackglobal.org/stopdumping

I would agree with that supermarket law. I think at the moment it is up to the supermarket itself. food should never be wasted.

I agree, trisher. It'll be workhouses next, except that the one in this village has been turned into very nice flats.

By the way, the Avaaz link is a petition to sign to make it law here.

Signed. Thanks. George is probably looking at workhouses right now, he just needs to think of a name that will make them more acceptable.

.trisher how does the big society rest homes sound ?

Surely there won't be any rest allowed!

True no rest allowed but the big society doesn't exist so what's another untruth

I was thinking of Scroungers Resettlement Hostels, but the Big Society would be good. So Big Society Scroungers Settlements! Must tell George now.

When you speak to him would you mind reminding him his living wage of 7.20 which he brings in next year was the recommended living wage in 2011 and is now 7.85

The Institute for Fiscal Studies, having analysed the figures, has now said that the rise in the living/minimum wage will in no way compensate low paid workers for the reduction in tax credits and may well leave them up to £1,000 a year worse off.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33429390

"From April 2016 the income threshold will go down from £6,420 to £3,850, meaning that far fewer people will be eligible to claim. "

Oops sorry. Posted in the wrong topic. ^^

POGS I have no idea about the numbers of food banks in Australia and Tasmania. I don't even know the number where I live, although I am aware that child poverty is a serious cause for concern and that large numbers of children in some areas of the country go to school without any lunch, having not had any breakfast either.

Anniebach he is probably operating several years behind the rest of us. Maybe that explains his policies-he actually thinks it's 1895 or something!

I am irritated by the claim the minimum wage will become the living wage next year which means an increase from 6.50 ph to 7.20 ph. Not true , the minimum wage is to increase this October to 6.80 ph. so the rise will be .40p not .70p, and there would have been an increase in the minimum wage come October 2016 anyway , all that's changed is the minimum wage will be known as the living wage - which it is not

I said somewhere else that the reason he's changing the name of the minimum wage is because they said in their manifesto that nobody working 30 hours on the minimum wage will have to pay tax.
If it's not called the minimum wage they can tax it. 30 hours a week on £7.20 an hour will be more than the tax threshold.
Of course, those under 25 will still be getting the nominal minimum wage.

Smoke and mirrors again in Osborneworld.

absent. Why do you think there is poverty now in Australia too?

Does anybody really believe George when he talks about a "living wage"? It wasn't that long ago that the conservatives were saying a minimum wage would ruin businesses and opposed its introduction. Mind you they have now renamed everything- smoke and mirrors as you say dj, either that or we are on our way to living out 1984 (the novel!)

Is Absent an expert on Australia? I'm just wondering why she's being asked about food banks and poverty there .

She lives in New Zealand.