It’s been a busy time for Sustain! Below is a summary of our Annual Report – the full report is available here: Sustain Annual Report 2016-2017
Summary
This period saw Sustain complete its first full year of operation as an independent legal entity, following its transition from Deakin University to William Angliss in 2015 (as the Food Alliance) and then its incorporation as an independent legal entity in January 2016. The year to 30 June 2017 has been one of rapid growth and considerable achievement. Notable highlights include our registration as a Health Promotion Charity with the ACNC (with full Deductible Gift Recipient and Tax Concession Charity status), thanks to the generous support of the pro bono legal team at Arnold Bloch Leibler. We successfully organised and hosted two major events, the inaugural Community Food Hubs Conference and national speaking tour (August 2016) and the first national Urban Agriculture Forum (November 2016), and co-hosted a third: the 21st Symposium of Australian Gastronomy (December 2016). We developed and launched the Australian Food Systems Directory (February 2016) which now has over 540 entries from around the country. We negotiated and commenced a major and unique multi-year and multi-stakeholder food systems re-design project, Cardinia Food Circles. We published the Bendigo Local Food Economy Pilot Report and the Food Governance Taskforce Report, articulating the role of local governments in supporting sustainable, resilient and fair food systems in Victoria. Finally we significantly improved our financial position, more than doubling our 2015-16 surplus to reach a surplus of $113,706 as at 30 June 2017.