Ms Louise Bayliss:

To be honest, I do not know about the operation of food banks. My point, and I think it would also be the point of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, is that food banks, while necessary, are a temporary thing. We would like an increase in core social welfare payments so that nobody would need go to a food bank. Food banks are nearly an admission we are not providing enough food for people. We do not see that as a dignified response. While we provide food banks and support them, it is not where my emphasis and advocacy would be. It would be on making sure people do not ever need to go to food banks.