Food Security in Queensland

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.