An Australian man has shared his irritation after driving past a long line for a food bank in Melbourne and noticing it was full of foreigners.
Jay Mirelli took photos and video outside the Empower Australia Food Relief Centre in Southbank on Sunday morning showing hundreds of people waiting for free food, many equipped with trolley bags.
The vast majority were of Asian appearance and middle-aged or older, some were sitting on chairs as they waited, and most were wearing thick winter clothes to keep out the winter cold.
Foreigners line up in Melbourne to get free food from Food Bank, meant for needy Australians. pic.twitter.com/qPBD0pJSI9
— Jay Mirelli (@JayMirelli) June 13, 2026
“Foreigners line up in Melbourne to get free food from food bank,” he wrote on X.
“99% were of Chinese appearance and most had trolley bags to fill full of free food. Disgusting taking food from truly needy Australians.
“Don’t believe me? Go to Whiteman St Southbank (Melbourne) every Sunday morning at 9:15am.”
Mr Mirelli told Noticer News he was upset by what he saw because he knew it would put off some vulnerable families.
“It aggravated me as the line was so long and vulnerable people, especially women with young children, would surely hesitate waiting in line for so long,” he said.
“Anybody with young children knows you can’t wait for a long time outside in the middle of winter.”
Empower was established by the Planetshakers Church, partners with Foodbank and McCain to supply household staples, and says on its website it supports “the elderly, refugees, single parents, homeless people and international students”. The charity also runs English classes once a fortnight.
Foodbank Victoria has also been targeting international students by running pop-up markets at six university campuses across Melbourne.
The charity said last month foreign students were experiencing “food insecurity”, and only 5% were getting their recommended daily servings of vegetables.
Header image: Left, right, the line outside the food bank (Jay Mirelli – X).
