Coronavirus pandemic

First Australians

More than two centuries of dispossession has left many First Nations people living in chronic poverty. This has presented myriad complications, including poor health outcomes for our people and communities. Remote communities with limited access to the internet and education are further disadvantaged as panic buying has made life’s basics such as food and medical supplies completely unavailable to some. 

Healthcare workers

Healthcare workers are on the frontline of the pandemic, and need extra protection. The community is relying on healthcare workers to assess and treat us everyday. More than 13% of Spain’s coronavirus caseworkers have been health care workers – we can’t let that happen in Australia. 

People living in poverty

Australia has been shocked by the mass unemployment we have witnessed in recent weeks. Yet people who were already living in poverty and homelessness, will now find it even harder to access preventative and support measures. These people may be homeless, previously unemployed, enduring mental health issues, managing a disability or in other difficult situations. 

Women, children and those at risk of domestic violence

Despite the increase in incidence of domestic violence in our communities, we have seen a steady decrease of support services for women and children escaping domestic violence. In Australia, organisations working on domestic violence are chronically underfunded and an extended period of self isolation has the potential to exacerbate already volatile domestic situations.

A shortage of care services (childcare, healthcare, elder care) will have a disproportionate impact on women as providers of unpaid care work. Coronavirus will exacerbate a situation where cuts to public spending have already fallen on women. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has reiterated its previous concern (dating back to 2009) about the disproportionately negative impact of austerity measures on women, who constitute the vast majority of single parents and are more likely to be engaged in informal, temporary or precarious forms of employment.

Refugees and people seeking asylum

For years alongside our partners, we have documented the poor treatment of undocumented and irregular migrants and their exclusion from services such as healthcare and basic income support. 

More than 1400 people are currently held in various detention facilities in Australia. If the virus takes hold in these centres, the lives of not only those people detained and the people who guard and provide services there will be at risk, but the spread of the virus in such circumstances could pose further risk to the entire Australian community. 

Young people in the justice system

We have highlighted the high remand rates of children in the justice system for many years. Around 60% of young people in youth prison are on remand – that is, they are yet to be found guilty of a crime. Even worse is that nearly 50% of these children are never found guilty. These young people are now at high-risk of the health implications of Coronavirus.

Renters

The realities of COVID-19 mean that many people will face difficulties in meeting their rental obligations. Housing is a human right that affords people dignity, and it must be protected. The government has begun to make reforms to make it easier for people facing rental difficulties – such as a moratorium on evictions – but some renters are still vulnerable and face the risk of losing their housing.

In introducing emergency measures, it is vital from the outset that the Australian Government ensures human rights are at the forefront of all prevention, preparedness, containment and treatment efforts, in order to best protect public health, welfare, and support the groups and individuals most at risk.

We’re closely monitoring government responses to the crisis. Here’s what we’re calling for:

• Income injections for at risk Indigenous communities
• Increased support to social service organisations, including vital funding for people facing domestic violence to seek safety
• A solution to address the over-crowdedness in remote communities
• Primary health care facilities to be provided with sufficient PPE (personal protective equipment); including masks, visors and impermeable gowns
• Refugees and asylum seekers in detention in Australia to be urgently released into the care of our community, to ensure their impact is urgently assessed and mitigated for individual and public health. 
• Police accountability and transparency
• Removal of children on remand awaiting trial from youth prison
• State and Territory governments to make public guidelines for the policing of social distancing regulations

There have been various rapid responses to economic considerations. We welcome the various stimulus packages to keep the economy on track, however it is absolutely vital that governments ensure that the most vulnerable in our community are not excluded from these packages, and receive the assistance they need.