Guidance for your Feeding Australia Submission

BySustain Team

We find ourselves at a critical junction for food in Australia. Feeding Australia (the development of National Food Security Strategy) is a powerful opportunity to redesign our food systems for human and planetary health. In this post, we cover actionable tips, guidelines and resources for food system change-makers like you, to make your voice heard.

Key Links

  • Make your submission at the Feeding Australia Submission portal. Due to significant interest, the deadline for feedback on the discussion paper has been extended until 5PM AEST on Wednesday, 1 October.   
  • Review Sustain’s submission for ideas and language
  • Watch our Feeding Australia submissions webinar or read the summary. This webinar (convened by Sustain in partnership with Deakin University) explored how this national discussion can tackle our human planetary health challenges. The summary includes webinar slides, speaker notes and more – ideal background information for an impactful submission.

Submission Tips

  • Introduce your organisation / yourself – explaining your work and motivation on the topics addressed by Feeding Australia.
  • Reference your work and local examples that you believe are working / have significant potential and what support / resourcing is required from the Federal government.
  • Use headings to address the key questions raised in the Discussion Paper – so our summary submission for an example.
  • Keep the submission brief and to point – aim for a maximum of 5 pages. 
  • Make it practical – identify actions wherever possible.

Key points to inlcude in your submission

  • Call for legislated recognition of the human right to food within Feeding Australia.
  • Support a shift from narrow agricultural productivity metrics to total system productivity considering social, environmental, and economic outcomes.
  • Include equity as a foundational principle of Feeding Australia 
  • Advocate for cash-first policies (e.g., raising JobSeeker rates) and structural reforms (affordable housing) to tackle root causes of food insecurity.
  • Urge federal funding for regenerative farming, food hubs, co-ops, and social enterprises to diversify supply chains and build resilience.
  • Recommend fiscal measures treating ultra-processed foods as harmful products to fund health and food security initiatives.
  • Call for strong, enforceable standards for healthy food in schools and workplaces
  • Restrict unhealthy food advertising 
  • Coordinated federal–state action to embed nutrition and public health in Feeding Australia.
  • Promote First Nations food sovereignty, leadership, and culturally safe approaches in all programs.
  • Request clear governance, measurable targets, and independent oversight by the National Food Council.

Join the movement

If you are interested in taking your food system advocacy work further, please consider joining the Vote for Food community space on The Australian Food Network – the digital gathering place for food system change-makers like you.

Sustain Team

Sustain is a “think and do” network, specialising in designing and building sustainable and healthy food systems. We work with governments, councils, and community leaders to help map local food systems, and develop evidence-based and achievable policies and programs. We sow the seeds of change with events, policy work, practice & thought leadership, capacity building, and collective action. We give people, councils, and organisations the tools they need to help them become empowered food citizens, supporting healthy communities, people and ecosystems.

Similar Posts