Speeches
Thursday, 25 June 2026
Opening of the Foodbank SA & NT Head Office and Warehouse
Rod and I are pleased to be here today for the official opening of the Foodbank SA & NT Head Office and Warehouse at Pooraka – a landmark moment for an organisation that has become indispensable to the people of South Australia and the Northern Territory.
As patron, it’s been my pleasure to engage with Foodbank on a yearly basis, sometimes more, since my term commenced in late 2021.
Every time I do, I am struck by a sobering reality: the number of people using Foodbank has grown.
And not by hundreds, but by many thousands.
Today, more than 152,000 South Australians and 20,000 Territorians turn to Foodbank for food relief every month – a profound reflection of the cost-of-living pressures bearing down on so many families across our community, many of whom are seeking help for the very first time.
I can only imagine how that feels for Foodbank volunteers and supporters, its staff and board.
To have a deep desire to support everyone in need, while the goalposts keep on moving. Relentlessly.
Within this challenging context, I’ve been heartened to see the Foodbank community respond with characteristic dedication.
You’ve been expanding your reach, deepening your partnerships, and continuing to provide practical assistance to people in need with dignity, compassion and respect.
This new facility is a direct and vital response to rising demand, creating one of the most significant pieces of social infrastructure built in South Australia in recent years.
It will help to ensure you can meet the needs of our community now and into the future.
It’s also great to see your location, adjacent to the South Australian Produce Market, offering direct access to wholesalers, growers and suppliers, reducing transport costs and helping to rescue more fruit and vegetables before they are lost to waste.
Overall, a big win on multiple fronts.
The new office and warehouse are a symbol of what South Australians can achieve when businesses, philanthropists, volunteers, governments and communities work together in pursuit of a shared purpose – and go the extra mile.
I thank the board and staff, as well as every donor, every partner, and every volunteer whose contribution makes this facility, and the work of Foodbank, possible.
Your generosity makes us who we are as a state where people look out for each other and look after each other.
Today also marks the final official Foodbank event for Greg Pattinson, after twelve years as Chief Executive Officer.
While no doubt John, as Chair, will describe his achievements in more detail, there are a few I would like to mention, even at the risk of repetition.
Under Greg's leadership, Foodbank’s annual distribution of food relief has grown from 1.58 million kilograms to more than 6 million kilograms.
That’s enough for twelve million meals in a single year – an extraordinary achievement.
He has expanded Foodbank's geographical reach into the Northern Territory, opened Food Hubs in Alice Springs, Yarrawonga and Katherine; guided the organisation's response to bushfires, cyclones, floods and a global pandemic, developed a Reconciliation Action Plan, and built networks supporting more than 1,000 charities and 600 school programs.
Greg is an exceptional contributor to our community, and these new premises are the physical embodiment of his contribution to Foodbank – a permanent testament to his unwavering pursuit of ending hunger in our community.
I thank Greg for his dedication, his leadership, and for the profound impact he has made on the lives of hundreds of thousands of South Australians and Territorians.
Friends,
Foodbank has fed our community through hardship, disaster and pandemic.
May this outstanding new home give you the capacity to grow as need requires.