Consultation Report - National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities
The National Strategy for Food Security in Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities (the Strategy) is a result of a partnership between the Commonwealth government, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health peak organisations, and state and territory governments.
In July 2024, Yamagigu Consulting (yamagigu) was engaged to conduct national consultation to inform the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities (the Strategy). A qualitative research method utilising an open or ‘exploratory’ approach was taken, with consultation materials being developed using the Discussion Paper. Consultation activities included:
- Face-to-face community consultations in 21 remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities around Australia, with 378 participants.
- Face-to-face regional forums held in 10 locations around Australia, with 128 participants.
- Written submissions, with 44 received.
- Online public consultations, with 27 participants.
The consultation findings were presented to the Strategy Partners. All data, including notes from in-person and virtual consultations, and online submissions, were analysed using thematic analysis, and themes for each jurisdiction were summarised. This analysis revealed both similarities and some important differences in the experiences of food security across locations and jurisdictions.
The consultation highlighted very high levels of food insecurity and communities’ wishes for agency and control over addressing this pressing issue. Topics highlighted in the discussion paper aligned with the seven pillars of the Strategy (Country and Culture; Health and Nutrition; Housing, Infrastructure and Environmental Health; Families and Communities; Remote Retail; Supply Chains; Healthy Economies). Other recommendations included water management and palatability, education as an integral focus and a need for flexible funding.