The role of Australian local governments in creating a healthy, sustainable and equitable food system: Results of a policy mapping study in New South Wales and Victoria

Transformation of the food system is required to ensure food security for an increasing global population within finite planetary and climate boundaries. While much attention has been paid to how state and national governments can influence food systems, less is known about the role of Australian local governments in addressing these health, sustainability, and equity challenges. This report provides a summary of a policy mapping study conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney, University of Wollongong, and William Angliss Institute of TAFE (Melbourne)

Barriers to and enablers of sustainable practices: insights from ethnic minority migrants

Migration from the Global South to Global North is a major feature of contemporary population movements, and provides a lived experiment of the implications of moving from less resource-intensive modes of living towards more resource-intensive ones. Pre-migration practices come together in complex ways post-migration with established norms and infrastructures in destination countries. Here we examine the barriers to and enablers of sustainable practices, synthesising in-depth research from nine different studies in south-eastern Australia in relation to household water use, food growing and transport. The total sample includes 323 migrants from 33 countries. The main barriers include infrastructure and broader patterns of work and society. The main enablers are cultural norms of frugality and preferences for public transport. Barriers and enablers interact in diverse ways. We show that migrants are important contributors to inadvertent sustainabilities, but their contributions may be weakened by infrastructural, structural and cultural barriers. Addressing the diverse capacities of migrants would enhance system change for everyone

Results from a policy mapping study: Local government action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system

This study was the first to systematically map local government (LG) action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system in Australia, focusing on NSW and Victoria. We searched the websites of all LGs in NSW and Victoria for policy documents with actions related to a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system. We then analysed these documents against a framework of recommendations for LG action on addressing food system challenges. This infographic provides a visual representation of the study's findings