ACOSS warmly welcomes the report of the Independent Inquiry into Australia's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, released by the Federal Government on Tuesday 29 October, and strongly encourages the Federal Government to act swiftly upon the key recommendations.
The Report makes abundantly clear that the introduction of the Coronavirus Supplement and other economic supports was "vital in minimising the economic and psychological harm for the most disadvantaged individuals and communities" (p596) and helped reduce transmission of the virus.
During the early stages of the pandemic, poverty fell by four-fifths, from 76% in 2019 to 15% in June 2020. Among single parent families, poverty was reduced by almost half, from 34% to 19%.
The Report acknowledges that Australia's unemployment payments prior to the pandemic were "not sufficient to maintain a basic standard of living" (p557). JobSeeker Payment is now just 43% of the minimum wage and still sits below all measures of adequacy. The government must increase JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment and related income support payments to at least $82 a day to ensure people can cover basic costs.
The Inquiry unequivocally acknowledged the critical role the community sector in Australia's response, ensuring that people in need could access tailored services (p509):
'Throughout the pandemic, the community services sector showed exceptional leadership, agility and innovation in their provision of critical services and support, particularly for those who experienced [family domestic and sexual violence]… Without the agility these organisations showed in providing support services to some of the most disadvantaged in our communities, Australia's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic would have been vastly different.'
The Report makes clear that the expertise of the community sector should be better integrated into national scenario planning and policy making, something ACOSS advocated for throughout the pandemic. To improve Australia's future preparedness, the Report recommends developing and stress-testing national preparedness for a future pandemic that taps into the capability of the community sector alongside other key actors (p14). Within the next 12 to 18 months, the Report calls for establishing mechanisms for National Cabinet to receive additional integrated expert advice for whole of society emergency including social and human rights impacts, and specific impacts on priority populations (p 16).
The Report also makes further recommendations welcomed by ACOSS regarding improved flexibility in government grant arrangements (p45), development of policy frameworks for the role of essential services and workers in a public health emergency (p14) and improved data collection, sharing and linkages to better target responses on the ground (p 17).
ACOSS calls on the Federal Government to adopt these recommendations to ensure we are prepared for the next pandemic.
