One of Outback Stores’ key priorities is to make a positive difference in the health and wellbeing of communities. This is achieved by focusing on key health priorities such as sugar and tobacco reduction, and implementing strategies that will support the improved health and wellbeing of communities.

Outback Stores, in collaboration with Flinders University, has developed a tobacco reduction research project. This project focuses on five central desert stores to initiate conversations and engage with community members on how we can reduce tobacco use in remote areas.

Tobacco Education Event

Last month, Carmel, our Health Promotion Coordinator along with Flinders University, and the Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) team from Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation had the opportunity to host an inaugural tobacco education event at Mirnirri Store in Ali Curung (NT).

This community event was aimed at providing an opportunity to get together to learn about tobacco reduction and have conversations on what strategies the community members think would work for their community, such as having a Tobacco Education Day.

Leading up to the event, there was communication with key collaborators including the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Team (TIS), store directors and managers, Flinders University, and members of the internal Outback Stores team around tobacco reduction.

Objectives of the Day

The objectives of the Tobacco Education Day are to provide education around the positive health effects of quitting, promote engagement from community members, and to allow feedback to support us to develop strategies that will be suitable for the community.

How the Day Went

The Tackling Indigenous Smoking Team had a lot of interaction with both the younger generation and older community members. They spoke about the different stages your body goes through when you start smoking. Tests were also conducted on the adults to see how much nicotine is in their body.

Overall, the day was a successful one, with all members walking away with giveaways from the TIS team, as well as some vouchers that could be used in store. Mirnirri store was kept busy with the flow of community members attending the event, who remained for a BBQ and fresh fruit.

Mornington Island is the largest of the North Wellesley Islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Food and supplies are delivered via a weekly barge freight service from Kurumba. With a population of about 1000 residents, 80 per cent are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.

The island’s only grocery store and takeaway outlet had operated successfully since 1974 but began experiencing financial issues due to mismanagement. After a tender process was conducted, Outback Stores was selected on 17 August 2023 and awarded a three-year management agreement to lift store standards.

Deputy Chairperson of Gununamanda Limited, Roxanne Thomas, said “Outback Stores was selected as the successful tenderer due to its retail expertise and successful track record.”

Specialising in complex logistics, Outback Stores now operates 58 remote stores in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and now Queensland.

Outback Stores’ initial priority was ensuring the community of Mornington Island had access to healthy food and a good range of produce at affordable prices, reducing the cost of staples such as milk, bread, fruit and vegetables.

We can already see an improvement in the store performance since working with Outback Stores.

– Kyle Yanner

“Governance has improved and there are proper controls in place, which has seen increased sales in the last 12 months,” says Kyle Yanner, chairperson of Gununamanda Limited.

The store directors are prioritising paying off debts and are hoping to improve the affordability of food with the assistance of Outback Stores. The cost of freight to the island is a significant factor to food affordability, with freight costing approximately $20K each week. The store’s directors are thankful for the recent subsidies offered by the Queensland Government that will result in discounted prices on essential goods such as milk, bread and fresh produce.

Kyle says “With this freight subsidy and Outback Stores, we are looking forward to cheaper prices and better outcomes for the whole community.”

This story was first published in the Outback Stores Annual Report 2023-2024.