Interview-John Robertson, CEO of Foodbank NSW/ACT

Throughout his career, John Robertson has amassed over 30 years of experience in stakeholder engagement and strategic development in government. In addition to this, he dedicated seven years to volunteering at Foodbank NSW & ACT. In 2017, John expanded his professional horizons to the not-for-profit sector, becoming the Executive General Manager of Foodbank NSW & ACT. His exceptional leadership skills led to his promotion to Chief Operating Officer in March 2019, and ultimately, his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in November 2020. John is also on the Board of the ALAND Foundation.

How long has Foodbank NSW & ACT partnered with the ALAND Foundation?

Foodbank NSW & ACT partnered with the ALAND Foundation in late 2024. Through our partnership, we are working to deliver 100,000- meals annually. It’s a great result and goes to show how businesses like ALAND can partner with the community sector to give back to the communities they operate in. It’s also great to see the ALAND team members going above and beyond by volunteering regularly at our Glendenning facility. Just last month, the team came by and packed almost 2500kg of food or 4,400 meals for people in need.

Why did you join the ALAND Foundation Board?

I knew of ALAND as a business and its track record of delivery in Western Sydney as my daughter bought and lives in one of their developments, and they sponsor my football team- the mighty Parramatta Eels. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Andrew and the team had set up the Foundation and sought to partner with Foodbank NSW & ACT late last year. I was approached to join the Board of Directors shortly after. This was an easy decision for me as their pillars of health, education, social welfare and wellness resonates with me personally and professionally.

The 2024 Hunger Report says the proportion of Australians experiencing food insecurity has decreased – is this a cause for celebration? 

“Sadly, it’s not. We’ve seen a slight decline in the numbers but anecdotally our partner organisations tell us they are seeing more people. Food insecurity is a phenomenon that’s not going away anytime soon judging by what’s going on the world right now. At Foodbank, anyway, we’re preparing for things to get worse, not better.”

Is it true that middle-income families are now struggling to put food on the table?

“We’re seeing double income families with mortgages fronting up at our community partners looking for support. That is something that we’ve never seen before. According to The Hunger Report 21% of household on the medium income are living with food insecurity – that’s one in five households in Australia. Most of us are fortunate enough not to be living in those circumstances but it’s becoming an increasing reality for more and more people in this country.”

Why does Foodbank put so much effort into its School Breakfast 4 Health Program? 

“We’ve been running this program for about five-and-a-half years. The principals and deputy principals tell us as a result of the School Breakfast 4 Health Program attendance figures are up, engagement is up and classroom behaviour is better because kids who have a good breakfast can better regulate their behaviour. The schools we work with don’t just feed the kids. They engage with the kids. There’s a school in New England where attendance went up from 68% to 92% in six months – when they submitted these figures the Department of Education said this couldn’t possibly be true.”

Is the cost-of-living crisis affecting Foodbank’s fund-raising efforts?

“Things are getting very tight. We are very fortunate that we’ve got donors who are very generous but it’s obviously going to get tougher because we’re seeing increasing demand for food but a decline in the volume of food being donated from the manufacturers and retailers. So financial donations are going to be really critical for us going forward. When I started seven-and-a-half years ago 90% of the food that we distributed was donated and 10% bought. On an average month now 70% of the food is donated and 30% we have to purchase. The bottom line is we’re buying more food to make sure that people can still eat.”

So are rising costs impacting on your ability to deliver food to those in need?

“We’re feeling the pinch of increasing running costs. Our transport bill is over $4 million a year – so we have to get $4 million through the door so that we can ship food to where it’s needed. That figure includes the cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance and for some of the more remote locations we use transport contractors.”

Are governments, whether state or federal, doing enough? 

“Governments can always do more but ultimately food insecurity is something that we as a society have to confront. We need to work out what’s really important to us. People feel engaged with social media but not in a human-to-human way. And that’s what makes us who we are.”

The Hunger Report says 69% of single parent households suffer from food insecurity – is this the most at risk group?

“When people start winding back the household budget, food becomes the next discretionary item on the list. People start skimping on meals – they’ll eat two meals a day or sometimes it’s only one meal a day. It’s often assumed that people in this situation have made poor choices but that’s just not the case. As a society we’re very quick to judge but in my experience these are just people trying to get on in life.”

I’ve heard that some people are simply too embarrassed to ask for support with their weekly groceries?

“Absolutely. We see it all the time. We’ve really got to work hard on breaking down that stigma. A decade ago we started that conversation about mental health – we need to do the same thing about food insecurity. Once again, people are too quick to judge. If you don’t have enough money to put food on the table you must be on drugs or making poor choices. Our experience is that the vast majority are not in the that category. Among First Nations communities there’s still a genuine fear dating back to the stolen generations that if you turn up looking for help it means you can’t look after your kids, and they’ll be taken from you.”

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem?

“I first started volunteering with Foodbank when I was still working in politics. The culture here is all about giving people dignity despite the circumstances they find themselves in. Shame and loss of dignity leads to all sorts of mental health problems. That’s what drives me. Don’t judge people. Don’t put label on them. Listen to someone’s story and you realise that could easily happen to you or someone that you know.”

World Hunger Day* is soon, why should we mark such a date? 

“I believe that access to food is a human right. Everyone should have access to safe housing, food and clean water. .”

We can eradicate hunger, but it requires genuine commitment, drive and motivation from the world community.

• World Hunger Day, May 28, 2025. This year’s theme is Sowing Resilience