Speeches
Friday, 08 May 2026
Foodbank Women of Influence Luncheon
As patron, I am pleased to join you for the Foodbank SA & NT Women of Influence Luncheon.
Today’s event serves the dual purpose of encouraging much-needed financial support for, and awareness of, Foodbank’s work, while also advancing gender equality.
As Governor, it is a particular pleasure to attend this luncheon which, year upon year, demonstrates the impact that women of influence can have when they direct their energy, networks and generosity towards a cause as vital as ending hunger.
I thank each of you for being here today.
Your presence is a meaningful act of support for an organisation that serves some of our most vulnerable community members, at a time when the cost-of-living continues to place extraordinary pressure on South Australian households.
When I became patron of Foodbank in October 2021, I knew food insecurity was a serious challenge.
In the years since, I have seen the scale of that challenge grow in ways that have deeply influenced my understanding of what it means to struggle in our state today.
It is no longer only those in the most acute hardship who are turning to Foodbank for support.
It is working families, renters, and middle-income households who, until recently, would never have imagined needing to do so.
The figures speak for themselves: more than 300,000 households in South Australia and the Northern Territory have experienced food insecurity in the past twelve months alone, with cost-of-living pressures cited as the primary driver.
More than 152,000 South Australians and 20,000 Territorians turn to Foodbank for food relief every single month.
Against this challenging backdrop, Foodbank has responded with agility and dedication.
I’m pleased to see that earlier this year, after 26 years, Foodbank was able to relocate to a significantly larger warehouse at Pooraka, in direct response to record levels of demand.
I note also the opening of the new Katherine Warehouse and Food Hub in November 2025, which deepens Foodbank’s reach into Territory communities and strengthens its capacity for disaster preparedness and response.
I thank sincerely the dedicated staff and volunteers of Foodbank SA & NT, whose unwavering pursuit of the organisation’s mission - to get the most good food to those in need, in the most efficient way possible - underpins every kilogram of relief distributed and every family supported.
I thank our panellists - Sonya Feldhoff, Natasha Stott Despoja, Tara Moses and Emily Perry - for lending your voices and your stories to this important gathering.
Finally, I thank all guests for your continued and generous support of Foodbank’s important work.
Friends,
No South Australian should wonder where their next meal is coming from.
Let us stand together and support Foodbank in its vision to end hunger, now and into the future.