Lack of price parity in remote Aboriginal communties undermines COVID-19 response
Linda Burney on ABC Western Plains NSW Breakfast with Nic Healey - Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Lack of price parity undermines COVID-19 response in remote Aboriginal communities
NIC HEALEY: I spoke earlier to Linda Burney. She’s the Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, and for Aboriginal Australians.
LINDA BURNEY: COVID-19 is an enormous threat to remote Aboriginal communities, for a number of reasons. Firstly, of course the compromised health system that many Aboriginal people have with one or two diseases. It could be, you know, diabetes and heart disease, or a number of combinations. But also, the very big difficulty of self-isolation, because housing is so crowded. Mercifully, so far, touch wood, there have been no outbreaks in any remote communities. But that doesn’t mean the danger is still there.
HEALEY: No, and also when you consider how much chronic illness already exists within these communities.
BURNEY: Well that’s absolutely the point. The chronic illness starts at a very young age. We’ve got heart disease in very young children. You’ve got respiratory problems. You’ve got often diseases that don’t even exist in the broader population anymore. So these things are very important. And the other big concern has been something that you wouldn’t think about in most places, and that is food security. If you are in a remote community, you don’t have access to supermarkets and places like that. So the very small stores that often exist in a local community have to be well stocked and they aren’t always. And the prices are often extraordinary.
HEALEY: Look, the price gouging we’ve seen has had a huge impact on a lot of remote communities. I can only imagine that remote Aboriginal communities have been even harder hit.
BURNEY: Well, I’m arguing very strongly for some sort of parity in terms of prices. I mean who is going to pay $9 or $10 for a wilted Colliflower? Not many people.
HEALEY: No. And not happily certainly.
BURNEY: No.
HEALEY: Transport costs as well has been an issue. We’ve not seen fuel prices in regional areas not the way they have in metro areas.
BURNEY: No, there has been a lot of movement in metropolitan areas. And of course transport costs in rural and remote Australia are enormous. I know from Western Plains and further west of you the fuel prices just increase. And of course, diesel as well. So fuel prices, the higher they are, the higher transport costs, the higher food is.
Unused hotel rooms can provide temporary family violence accommodation during pandemic
HEALEY: Look, changing tac a little, but not disconnected we’ve also seen a lot of concern around family violence through this lockdown period.
BURNEY: There is reports of increased levels of family violence. And when you think about it, I mean family violence was a crisis before the pandemic. So you can imagine what that means particularly in households where money is short; where people may have lost their employment. Or they’re worried about the mortgage. They’re worried about paying rent. They’re worried about whether they’d keep their job. We’ve seen an increase in alcohol sales. And that’s been well recorded. And of course the level of frustration of being in lockdown, being in close proximity and not having any relief to each other. And we’re also very worried Nic, about women in particular, and families in dangerous situations and not having the capacity to make that crucial phone call because the abusive partner is in close proximity. And we’re really advocating very strongly for what’s happened in other countries, and that is vacant motel rooms made available in consultation and in partnership with organisations that deal in family violence. And even in France, there is a password that women can use when they go into a chemist.
HEALEY: A password, to let people know that they are feeling that their life is unsafe?
BURNEY: Yes. So I’m not quite sure what the name of the pharmacy guild – for want of a better term – in France, has come on board with the government. There is a password that women can use when they go to the pharmacy. Because that’s one of the few places you can still go in lockdown. And if that woman knows how to use the password, the chemist is able to go and contact the police to get help.
HEALEY: Given that we had already seen some upsetting upticks when it comes to family violence, right around this region, with a couple of areas in particular, notably high, have you seen much interest in this unused hotel room idea you’ve got?
BURNEY: I think the NSW Government – certainly through some of the peak advocacy organisations in the family violence space – working closely with some hotels, in Sydney. But I’m not aware of it anywhere else. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some state governments that haven’t taken it up. But it just the perfect opportunity. I notice that in some places – I think it’s in Victoria, they’re using it for homelessness. But there is no reason why it also can’t be used as safe places to increase the capacity for refuges and safe places for women and children to go. We are very pleased with the announcements from the family court that they will prioritise issues where there are children and violence, and issues connected to the COVID-19 lockdown. That’s very welcomed. But it still does not help increase the capacity for frontline services.
HEALEY: So you’d like to see a more formalised and coordinated kind of approach to this?
BURNEY: I would, and I think it’s something that state governments really ought to take on board. This is obviously a huge need. And there are lots of empty motel rooms. And I’m sure there could be lots of very good partnerships formed.
HEALEY: Linda Burney, is the Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services and for Aboriginal Australians with some plans there to help people undergoing family violence.
ENDS
LINDA BURNEY
TRANSCRIPT - TUESDAY, 28 APRIL 2020