Report of remote stores inquiry tabled in Parliament

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs has tabled the report of its inquiry into remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community stores entitled Everybody's Business: Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Community Stores.

On 4 December 2008, the Committee accepted terms of reference from the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to inquire into and report on the operation of local community stores in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In particular, the Committee was asked to report on:

• food supply, quality, cost and competition issues;
• the effectiveness of the Outback Stores model, and other private, public and community store models; and
• the impact of these factors on the health and economic outcomes of communities.

The Committee received 112 submissions from a wide range of sources, conducted 28 public hearings and visited and inspected stores in 17 remote Indigenous communities.

The report is the result of the inquiry and contains 33 recommendations, grouped under the following headings:

• Healthy stores, healthy communities
• Fresh food access and supply
• Cost of living in remote Indigenous communities - the price of health
• Regulating for governance
• Future of remote community stores, including discussion of the Outback Stores model and a proposal for a national licensing scheme.
  

Contacts

Committee Secretary
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Affairs
PO Box 6021
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Ph: (02) 6277 4559
Fax: (02) 6277 4427
Email: atsia.reps@aph.gov.au

Links

• View resource: Everybody's business: remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait community stores [overview pamphlet] (PDF - 1.2 MB)
• View information: Everybody's business: remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait community stores
  click on links to download link to consolidated version of report unavailable
• View media release: Healthy foods come at a cost: Outback Stores
• View media release: Indigenous communities starved of fresh food, Govt told
• View website: The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia