1. Clear communication

Every resident facing a ‘hard lockdown’ deserves to know:

• What’s going on?
• Why?
• For how long?
• How their needs will be met during this period?

This information must be communicated in a timely manner and in plain language, not legalese.

It must also be available in all relevant languages and in formats that are fully accessible for people with disabilities, including documents suitable to screen readers, Plain English versions, etc.

The first people learn about a ‘hard lockdown’ of their community must be from a clear piece of direct communication—not a news bulletin or a police siren.

2. Fewer cops

A “CRIME SCENE SERVICES” van outside one of the locked down towers. Photo: Margaret Simons

‘Locked down’ facilities are not crime scenes and residents are not criminals.The involvement of police should be kept to an absolute minimum.

Extra challenges arise in places with residents from refugee, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or migrant backgrounds. These communities are used to being overpoliced and subjected to racism.

A large police presence unnecessarily escalates tensions and complicates the delivery of public health measures.

3. More nurses and community workers

COVID-19 is a public health crisis. Responses need to prioritise keeping people healthy and well.

That means responses led by nurses, public health officials and community health services.

It also means providing immediate access to healthy food, opportunities for fresh air and exercise, mental health support and medication.

Planning for the provision of these necessities must be done early—not as an afterthought.

It’s not a good outcome if people avoid COVID-19 but their overall health and wellbeing suffers.

4. Identify and meet people’s individual needs

Like any community, people in high-density accommodation have different needs.

Some people will have a disability. They might need help to shower, or to meet their sensory needs outside. There will be single parent families, people with food allergies or special dietary needs, people with pets needing walks. Some people will need medicine, or pharmacotherapies, or emergency dental care.

Before any ‘hard lockdown’ commences, authorities must consider: How will people get the specific support they need, in a timely way? Will support workers and medical professionals have access and equipment so they can get in and help?

5. Trust and empower local residents

Communities know themselves better than anybody. They should be trusted, to the maximum extent possible, to regulate their own affairs during a ‘hard lockdown’.

Authorities should develop a plan to genuinely and meaningfully include local communities and organisations in planning, service delivery and communications from the very start.

1. Financial support

Despite the increased financial pressure on carers, the $550 fortnightly Coronavirus Supplement that goes to other Centrelink recipients has not been extended to people who receive the Carer Payment. This is unfair and unsustainable. Kerry Janten is a carer for her son Luke, who has a disability. As she puts it: “People with disability and carers are also suffering massive financial setbacks in the coronavirus economic downturn, due to changes in expenses and income… A fair and equitable way to address the unprecedented crisis would be to top up everyone’s fortnightly Centrelink payments.”

2. Support to stay safe

Many carers are concerned about hygiene control measures, access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and the risk of COVID-19 entering their home through a support worker or from the carer themselves.  While testing criteria – and access to testing – have now been expanded in Victoria to include anyone with symptoms, more support is needed for carers to keep their homes safe and clean to reduce the risk of the virus impacting the people they care for. This includes access to PPE and cleaning supplies, as well as priority access to testing and test results.

3. Emergency respite accommodation and support

If unpaid carers need to self-isolate, or are unwell and unable to provide care, what accommodation and support options are available for them and for the people they support? While the Victorian Government has announced a boost to respite care for carers who become ill and need to self-isolate, further planning and resources are needed for these situations, including access to alternative accommodation for carers, and accessible emergency accommodation and support for those who need it when their carers can’t be there.

4. Access to essentials

Carers have been happy to see the measures many supermarkets have put in place to help them access essentials: things like priority shopping times and expanded eligibility to allow carers, family and friends to access essentials on behalf of the people they support. However, once supplies are restored across all stores, supermarkets should provide additional support by removing or increasing the limits on staples and hygiene products, to ensure people at higher risk from COVID-19 and those who care for them can follow stay-at-home guidelines and reduce their supermarket visits.

5. Clarity in NDIS cancellation policy

While the NDIS has made a number of positive changes in response to the pandemic, the cancellation policy changes are presenting concerns for some participants, carers and families. Participants must now give 10 days’ notice to cancel a service (up from two days), which means in some instances providers are still being paid when participants are not receiving a service. This could have big impacts on participants’ NDIS funding and, in turn, might reduce the amount of support they can receive. The cancellation policy changes and all other NDIS measures need to be clearly communicated to NDIS participants and carers.

6. Respect for visitor guidelines

Early in the pandemic, visitor restrictions were introduced for residential services, including disability and aged care facilities. However, some providers are imposing blanket bans on all visitors. This is not in line with government directives and cuts people off from their families for social and support needs. Family carers need clarity and consistency in visiting guidelines, and governments must ensure directives are fairly followed by all residential care providers.

7. Remote services that work for all carers

Phone-based and online services like advisory lines, counselling and support services are helping a growing number of carers. However, some of these programs will need additional funding to meet increased demand. It’s also important to acknowledge that digital solutions don’t work for everyone; for example, older carers may find it harder to access online services.

8. Help for new carers

As more Victorians move in with family in the face of new work or financial circumstances, a lot more people could become informal carers. Some of these people might not even recognise that they’re filling this role, may not have the skills or support they need and won’t know where to go for help. How will new carers be connected to support, both during the pandemic and beyond?

1. Previous forms of revenue and support have been lost.

Many emergency relief agencies rely on revenue generated through op shops, most of which have now closed. What will fill the gap?

2. Much of the emergency relief workforce has also been lost.

The emergency relief workforce is vulnerable at the best of times, largely relying on volunteers. Most volunteers have had to be stood down because of health and safety concerns, and many agencies are redeploying paid staff into volunteer positions. This dominoeing of staff is unsustainable if organisations are to keep providing services.

3. Safety is a constant issue. 

Arranging pickups and deliveries is difficult during the Covid-19 crisis, as is keeping things like soup vans open. Agencies are struggling and need support to keep their services going while keeping their staff safe.

4. Vulnerable people are relying on a precarious supply chain.

Emergency relief providers have reported problems getting enough supply of groceries, at a time when there is a great increase in demand for food relief. How can the supply chain be shored up?

5. Extra demand is adding to the pressure.

New clients are appearing, most of whom have lost their jobs due to Coronavirus. In particular there is acute need amongst asylum seeker communities and migrants on temporary visas, who have no financial support through JobKeeper or other benefits.

6. Other organisations are struggling with the overflow.

Different organisations, such as Neighbourhood Houses, are trying to pick up the slack and meet new demand generated by COVID-19, but with little or no additional funding.

1. Opt in.

The app must be opt-in only. Nobody should be forced or pressured to use it, either by the government or their employer. There must not be any penalties for people who choose not to use the app. The government should not criticise or penalise these people either.

2. Safe data.

Data collected by the app must be held securely and not shared with any private company or other government agency (like Centrelink). It must not be accessible by any police, law enforcement or investigative body, now or ever.

3. No penalties.

No community service organisation should be penalised for warning clients against using the app, if they make a judgement that the privacy or human rights concerns are too great.

4. Easy access.

People who do want to use the app, but who don’t speak English or have the required digital literacy, must be assisted to do so.

5. Help available.

LIkewise, for people who do want to use the app, but who don’t have a smartphone or adequate internet access, the Federal Government must facilitate app access and use at no cost to the individual.

1. How can remote responses be safe from control by abusers?

Most of the responses to the heightened risks of family violence have been focused on providing remote assistance, via phone or online support. But women and children experiencing family violence might not be able to safely access a website or make a phonecall, even to call the police. How can vulnerable people get help if their means of accessing it are controlled?

2. How will victim-survivors be safely housed?

COVID-19 is causing an economic crisis as well as a health crisis. Adding to the many difficulties of escaping a violent situation, lost income will make it even harder. Victim-survivors are less likely to be able to afford new housing on their own, or to keep up the rent if their abuser leaves. What safe housing support is available to women and children to get them through the health and economic crisis?

3. How can family violence services stay open and stay safe?

Family violence services must be supported to remain operational during the pandemic. But how can these essential services continue to be delivered in compliance with social distancing guidelines, keeping providers and users safe?

4. How will police responses to family violence be affected?

There is massive redeployment of police resources to deal with the health crisis, for instance to oversee social distancing and travel restrictions. But any redeployment must not detract from the resources available to respond to family violence matters.

5. What about the courts?

There is already significant over-demand on courts, worsened by the necessary transition to remote operations. Speed is often important in family violence matters when people’s immediate safety is at stake. Will matters such as violence intervention orders be considered a priority, and how will they be heard safety? And will victim-survivors still have access to legal support to assist with intervention order hearings and other court appearances, or with renegotiating parenting orders?

6. Will family violence refuges be safe from the virus?

Social distancing can be a challenge in under-resourced refuges. If someone staying in a family violence refuge contracts COVID-19, how can transmission be contained? We’ve heard of initiatives like bulk purchasing hotel and motel accommodation and we hope to see this used to prevent outbreaks, but we haven’t seen the details yet. Will family violence victim-survivors be a priority cohort for emergency accommodation?

1. Assistance is key

Coming into winter, modelling suggests that some households could be more than $200 a month worse off with their bills as a result of COVID-19. Will the Commonwealth and/or State Government provide additional concessions or rebates to help low-income households?

2. An energy crisis will hit already vulnerable people

One insidious thing about energy hardship is that it can be a slow-burn problem. Keeping the heater on during winter self-isolation might come back to bite in months’ and years’ time.  This is particularly worrying for people in already precarious situations like single parents, people with disabilities and health issues, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. What extra help can those people depend on if they experience bill shock?

3. Retailers need more than encouragement 

Pre-COVID requirements and public reminders from the regulator state that retailers have an obligation to ‘be helpful’ if energy users have trouble paying their bills. But what this means in practice is not necessarily clear. Public commitments to no disconnections, debt collections and late fees would be an important start. There is no obligation for retailers to waive bills, and introducing payment plans could see some customers stuck with a debt crisis on the other side of the health crisis. Retailers need to absorb more of the cost and commit to lessening the burden on customers.

4. Financial counselling can save people

Navigating information lines, call centres and websites can be an extremely stressful experience in already stressful times, particularly for people with mental health challenges (and research has shown that mental ill-health and energy hardship are often correlated). Better access to financial counselling could help people experiencing this kind of vulnerability. How do we quickly prepare financial counsellors and get them to the areas they are needed?

5. What about the community sector?

Community organisations provide valuable services to struggling Victorians, needed now more than ever. These organisations are changing the way they work in response to the pandemic. With remote staff requiring home-based workstations and a host of new expenses, organisations will need assistance to manage the transition. What measures will be put in place to help community organisations meet rising costs, including energy bills?

6. Healthier homes mean cheaper bills

Poorly insulated homes with power-hungry appliances have been a problem pushing energy bills up long before the COVID-19 crisis hit. That problem will be magnified with vulnerable people out of work and stuck at home. Low-income households can’t afford to make the big changes that would make the most difference to their bills, like buying new appliances or installing rooftop solar. Investing in energy efficiency programs and expanding rollout of rooftop solar not only helps these people, it means more jobs and economic stimulus to help in the recovery. It’s win/win.

1.  What kind of evictions aren’t banned?

There might still be extreme circumstances where an eviction is required. Family violence comes to mind. But these circumstances need to be clearly defined. They must be broad enough to be fair, but not so broad that cunning landlords use them to sidestep the eviction ban. For example, can a person still be evicted if the owner needs to move back into their investment property? Or if they are harming (or threatening to harm) members of their family or household, or neighbours, or the home itself? If so, the question then becomes: what happens to those evicted people, given the rental market will essentially be in sleep mode?

2.  What happens at the end of the eviction ban?

If a family can’t pay the rent in full, but avoids eviction, there’s a danger they could end up significantly in arrears. Will this debt be forgiven? Or will struggling tenants suddenly be expected to pay up at the end of the eviction ban? Demanding tenants who have been doing it tough to suddenly cough up a big pile of cash during a (likely) recession is unrealistic, and would drive them further into poverty. The last thing we need is to emerge from the health crisis with a debt crisis.

3.  What about tenants who are experiencing financial distress, but not as a ‘direct result’ of COVID-19?

Australia is experiencing a significant economic downturn, unseen in a generation. We are currently witnessing the first flush of economic contractions as a direct result of COVID-19, things like immediate job losses. But we may soon get to a point where the number of people in financial distress as a result of the broader economic downturn dwarves the number of people affected as a “direct result” of COVID-19. If the language defining the eviction ban is too narrow, then people in genuine need will miss out on protection.

 4.  What about rent providers?

Renters, landlords, community housing providers and the banks are being encouraged to strike private agreements (so-called ‘handshake deals’) on mortgage and rent relief measures. This could include measures like temporary reductions, waivers or deferrals. But there is little clarity about if and how housing providers will be assisted to absorb any impact. For example, how will mortgage payments be covered during this time? How can we ensure we don’t push a financial crisis from one part of our housing market to another?

5.  What happens if ‘handshake deals’ can’t be struck?

The housing sector is riddled with power imbalances. If you’re a renter, your landlord has more power than you. If you’re a housing provider, you are subject to the whims of your bank and other creditors. So asking renters, banks and providers to reach private agreements could be dangerous. The National Cabinet hasn’t offered guidance on what to do if a suitable agreement can’t be reached. What recourse do renters have?

6.  What about those who still can’t get, or can’t get enough, income support?

For people who were already struggling before this pandemic the new income support payments might not be enough to cover the rent. Others groups – such as people on working or student visas and people seeking asylum – are to be denied the new payments all together. What happens to them? The planned payments to homelessness services may not be enough in the circumstances, either. These are services that were overworked and underfunded before the current crisis, and their workload just swelled dramatically. How can we ensure these critical services can meet demand?

1. What happens to kids without a computer or the internet?

Not everybody is lucky enough to have digital access at home. Digital resources and video conferences will achieve little if kids can’t access them or engage fully.

2. What happens to kids who usually have support from a teacher’s aide?

Some children need a little extra help in the classroom to follow the curriculum and learn to the best of their ability. What’s the plan to ensure these students aren’t left behind?

3. How do we protect kids who experience violence at home?

It’s a sad reality, but home isn’t safe for every child. School is a refuge for some kids. How do we protect kids who may be stuck at home in an environment that is unsafe?

4. How do parents in ‘essential’ jobs keep working?

If children being at home means adults who are critical to the fight against Coronavirus (and efforts to cushion its impacts, such as family violence, disability support or community health workers) cannot work, then school closures may cause untold harm.

5. How do we support parents and carers already doing it tough?

Some families are already only just holding things together. For single parent families, foster carers and kinship carers in particular, school hours provide a chance to rest, complete chores or engage in paid work. How do we support these families and prevent burnout?

6. How will we feed kids who rely on a School Breakfast Club?

Thousands of Victorian kids receive a free and nutritious breakfast every school day through the Victorian Government’s School Breakfast Club program. The meals are provided because those kids often don’t get regular or healthy meals at home. How will we ensure they still get fed?

7. How do we look after kids’ mental health during a shutdown?

Many kids struggle with their mental health and are helped by school counsellors. These children risk losing that support, just as they’re also dealing with loneliness and anxiety associated with the wider COVID-19 pandemic. How will these kids get the mental health support they need?

8. How do we make sure all kids go back to school after the crisis?

Roughly 10,000 kids disengage and drop-out of school each year, jeopardizing their mental health and putting them at risk of homelessness and criminal activity. How do we make sure these kids (who are already teetering on the edge of disengagement) stay connected during the shutdown, and return to school when they reopen?