The upcoming State Budget will be about delivering our promises, fixing the Labor-Green mess and laying the foundations for the future.
Today's announcement is about delivering on our election commitment to rebuild essential services.
With the assistance of the State Government, emergency food relief providers such as SecondBite play a valuable role in providing support to vulnerable Tasmanians.
It was a great pleasure to officially open SecondBite's new cool room in Launceston today, which will significantly increase the amount of fresh surplus food they can provide to Tasmanians in need.
SecondBite will now support 36 community food programs in the state's North and North–West from this warehouse, boosting its weekly reach to 156 food programs and approximately 140,000 meals state-wide.
Funding from the Tasmanian Community Fund has provided for the new cool room, and also the addition of a new refrigerated van, a truck and fork lift.
Last month the Liberal Government stepped into to extend funding to emergency food relief providers such as SecondBite.
Funding for providers including SecondBite, Produce to the People and Foodbank of Tasmania was due to be cut under the previous Labor-Green Government.
We are committed to working with SecondBite and other organisations to develop sustainable services into the future, as well as initiatives that address the underlying causes of food insecurity.
We will also double funding for mobile food van services in Hobart, Launceston and Devonport, and provide an additional $100,000 to resource 15-20 start-up food cooperatives in communities, to help families and individuals access low cost, healthy and fresh food.
I thank all the volunteers who keep things moving at organisations like SecondBite, including fifteen volunteers at the Launceston warehouse, and also the business community who partner with these organisations to get help get fresh food distributed across the state to those in need.