Free school lunch and breakfast

In a wealthy state like South Australia no child should go hungry, but at least 23,350 South Australian kids are living in poverty.(13) According to another study by Curtin University child poverty in South Australia increased at the fastest rate in the country between 2013/14 and 2017/18 from 11.8% to 15.5%.(14)
 
Kids who don’t have lunch or breakfast find it much harder to concentrate, socialise and learn, with worse educational outcomes as a result. So the Greens will establish a universal, free school breakfast and lunch program in every state primary and secondary school in South Australia to ensure every child has access to a healthy breakfast and lunch. 

The Greens will:  

The South Australian Greens will introduce a free healthy breakfast and lunch program to run at every state primary and secondary school in South Australia. The program will be available to every state school kid.  
 
Kids can’t learn if they don’t eat, and right now 23,350 South Australian kids are living in poverty.15 As the cost of housing skyrockets, wages stagnate and the Federal Government’s cuts to income support take hold, thousands more kids will be shoved into poverty. 
 
The South Australian Greens free school breakfast and lunch program would see massive increases in students’ concentration, ability to socialise, attendance rates and educational outcomes. It would ensure no kid goes hungry and every student gets the best chance in life regardless of their parent’s income. 
 
After a trial of a free healthy breakfast program in Victoria, Victoria University found 95% of teachers surveyed reported substantial increases in children’s moods, concentration, ability to learn and socialise, with teachers reporting higher grades among the children who attended the free breakfast.(16) 

The total cost of the program would be $614 million over the first four years and would be funded and coordinated by the State Government. This cost would cover all staff salaries, foodstuffs, equipment and fittings, transportation and food bought externally, ensuring no school is left worse off. Every state primary and secondary school in South Australia would be required to run the program. In schools where the charity Foodbank Australia is operating their free breakfast program, the State Government would work in coordination with the charity to expand and better resource it. 
 
The breakfasts and lunches would be required to adhere to the Australian Dietary Guidelines outlined by the Australian Government to ensure every child has access to a healthy breakfast and lunch.(17) Schools would be resourced to accommodate any dietary or cultural requirements.  

Currently, in South Australia Foodbank Australia and Kickstart for Kids run free breakfast programs in 330 schools. In Australia, NSW and Victoria both run targeted free breakfast programs, with Victoria expanding their free breakfast program to 1,000 schools in 2020.18 Meanwhile, ACT Labor announced a trial of free breakfast and lunch three days a week for students at five public schools.(19)  

Finland has had a universal, free school lunch program since 1948. Their student population of 900,000 is over five times that of South Australia making the success of Finland’s program a useful example of how achievable this program is.  By operating at scale Finland’s authorities have been able to provide a free, healthy school lunch at a cost of $4 per student.(20)  

The evaluation of the Victorian free school breakfast program found that on average schools spent less than $1,000 in establishing their free breakfast program, with costs going towards buying fridges or freezers, microwaves, cutlery, bowls, aprons and mugs.(21) However, schools also applied to the Victorian Government to build kitchens or eating areas.  

The Greens will establish a $102 million in capital grants fund to cover the costs of basic infrastructure like fridges as well as expanding kitchen space or eating areas. This amounts to $200,000 on average per public school but actual amounts will vary depending on the size of school and capital investment requirements.