Price cap on essential groceries for remote communities

A price cap is to be set on 30 essential food items at 76 remote grocery stores in Australia in an effort to make groceries more affordable for First Nations people.

The capped products will include milk, bread, chicken, flour, apples, bananas, toothpaste, baby formula and toilet rolls.

The move from the Federal government comes after it was revealed last year that grocery costs in remote stores are significantly higher because of claims of transport costs and poor supply chains.

Up to 120 Indigenous staff will also be trained on nutrition as part of the Closing the Gap targets announced in Canberra on Monday.

“The task before us is to build a future in which all Australians have access to the same opportunities,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

First Nations people will also have a better chance to buy their own homes under the Indigenous Business Australia’s Home Loan Capital Fund.

“We are focused on creating jobs with decent conditions in remote Australia, addressing housing overcrowding, supporting healthy children and safe families, and community driven responses to address the causes of crime,” Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy.

“In 2025 we are building on these investments, focused on easing cost of living pressures in remote communities, our long-term economic empowerment agenda and even greater effort to improve living conditions and wellbeing.

Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, Pat Turner said Closing the Gap was not just policy, it was the intentional pursuit to make life better for all Indigenous people.

“While we know that the full impact of the changes we are making will take time to materialise, the National Agreement has already begun to show results,” she said.

“The most recent data from the Productivity Commission’s dashboard highlights progress.”

The Commonwealth’s 2024 Closing the Gap Annual Report and 2025 Implementation Plan was released on Monday with a long list of claimed achievements and a plan for 2025.

These include:

• The rollout of new laundries or upgrade existing facilities in 12 remote First Nations communities, to help improve long-term health outcomes.
• The extension of the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme for an additional two years to support Stolen Generations survivors.
• Establish a place-based business coaching and mentoring program for First Nations businesswomen and entrepreneurs.
• Increase the availability of culturally safe and qualified mental health support including scholarships for up to 150 First Nations psychology students.
• Continue to deliver critical prevention, early intervention and response services to address family, domestic and sexual violence in high need First Nations communities.

Further new measures announced:

• The building of 270 new houses across 40 remote Northern Territory communities and Alice Springs town camps to help reduce overcrowding.
• Remove the Child Care Subsidy Activity Test, guaranteeing 100 hours of subsidised early childhood education and care per fortnight for First Nations children.
• Increase access to culturally safe maternal care through 10 Birthing on Country activities across rural, remote and very remote locations to improve healthy birthweights and reduce pre-term births.
• Transition more health programs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-control, because we know community-led services achieve better results.
• Create up to 210 First Nations health care positions to improve cancer outcomes for First Nations people.
• Provide prison to employment mentoring in up to 15 locations, helping people reconnect with health, housing and other social services, to improve employment outcomes and reduce risk of re-offending.
• Deliver free community wide Wi-Fi to 23 remote First Nations communities, in partnership with NBN Co.