Dr Elroy Dearn
As Victoria enters a period of even stricter stage 4 restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19 , there is increasing concern for peoples’ mental health. In todays blog piece Professor Ian Hickie discusses who is most at risk of being harmed by the longer and more restrictive lockdown and what policy responses are needed from government that will deliver the most benefit.
Read MoreAs Victoria enters the unprecedented time of Stage 4 lockdown and a state of disaster is declared in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, disability advocates and academics have come together to highlight the vital importance of state and federal Governments working together to eliminate critical gaps for people with disability.
The situation in aged care homes has already shown a lack of joined up planning and responses can result in preventable harms and risks. In the media release below advocates from the disability sector identify the key areas of concern for people with disability and the urgent need for the NDIA and Victorian Government to implement a plan to ensure people with disability do not suffer through the stage 4 lockdown.
Read MoreThe big question about jobactive now, is whether this cashed-up system will actually help people find jobs other than in those contingent jobs that are proving to be problematic for COVID transmission.
Read MoreA new report from the Centre for Social Impact provides an overview of the impact of the pandemic on the financial wellbeing of Australians, and explains the key elements of the government response so far.
Read MoreTackling COVID-19 must include building a sustainable response in prison systems and other detention settings.
Read MoreWomen who have been to prison should be a priority group for violence prevention.
Read MoreThe concept of carbon neutrality - a net zero release of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere - has circulated in our society over the last few decades [1]. The current levels of CO2 emissions have proven links to global warming and climate change. It is also well known that this phenomena is directly connected with the use of fossil fuels in industry, energy production, transportation, agriculture, construction and other human activities. The risk of climate change related natural disasters has seen governments, NGOs and institutions around the world to take actions towards mitigation. In this blog, Dr Fallas-Chinchilla reflects on the hidden environmental costs of transport electrification and asks – what are the environmental costs of the current strategy for offsetting carbon and could we be doing environmentally better whilst striving for carbon neutrality?
Read MoreSince lockdown measures were introduced on 23rd March 2020 in the UK, while a minority of vulnerable children attend school, and school staff have worked hard to stay connected, social workers and family support workers have been some of the few safeguarding professionals visiting families in their homes and often the only ones to do so regularly. I this blog post, Professor Harry Ferguson asks - How, then, are social workers and families managing the risks from COVID-19 that home visits carry?
Read MoreIn Australia, the story of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic so far has been largely a positive one. Leadership and speed of response to this point has been recognised as critical to containment and management of the pandemic (Tiffen 2020). If we were to award the gold medal, it should go to our public health community. But we have seen strength in many quarters and for that reason, Valerie Braithwaite argues that we sell everyone short by singling any one group out.
Read MoreIf you have ever needed money in a hurry it may have been tempting to apply for a small loan to tide you over until your next pay packet. During Covid-19 and with increasing financial precarity, ‘payday’ loans may be how people resource short-term solutions as many people look online for financial help. Research from Dr Vivien Chen at Monash Business School’s Department of Business Law and Taxation shows the rise of digital platforms has significantly increased consumer access to payday loans. The financial risk posed by Covid-19 presents a key opportunity for governments to develop policy and mechanisms to protect people in financial distress. This article originally appeared in Monash Impact.
Read MoreMarketing managers and academics have been studying how families plan ahead and make decisions about family care and family consumption for a long time. But what happens when planning ahead is not possible? A new study says that when consumers can’t plan ahead...they dance.
Read MoreAustralians with disability represent some of the most excluded of all Australians in relation to the impacts of coronavirus. At the same time, many people with disability are particularly at risk from COVID-19, because of barriers that exist to their inclusion, and their need for ongoing support. People with Disability Australia asked people with disability to tell them about their experiences over the last two months, and have released a report on those findings today.
Read MoreIn today’s post, Sue Olney (@olney_sue) examines developments in Australia’s welfare-to-work system and rhetoric during the COVID-19 pandemic. She argues that the premise on which the system is built – that unemployment is an individual problem and that anyone the government deems capable of working can find a job if they’re pushed hard enough – has to change.
Read MoreIn today’s post, Dr Ann Kayis-Kumar, Professor Fiona Martin, Dr Jack Noone and Professor Michael Walpole from the University of New South Wales explain that many sole traders in Australia are experiencing financial hardship in the current pandemic because they are behind on their tax paperwork. Those helped by the UNSW Tax Clinic who were behind on their quarterly Business Activity Statements were, on average, seven years behind. Their financial vulnerability has long-term and widespread implications. This article was originally published in The Conversation.
Read MoreIn this post, Dr Belinda Townsend from ANU (@BelTownsend) says Australia can play a greater role in supporting mechanisms for affordable access to new treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. This piece was originally published on the East Asia Forum as part of its special feature series on the novel coronavirus crisis and its impact, prior to the 73rd World Health Assembly.
Read MoreIn today’s post, Dr Andrew Joyce, Dr Perri Campbell, and Aurora Elmes from the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne argue that a social enterprise focused Job Guarantee could be an important part of a suite of policies to address imbalance in the labour market in the wake of COVID-19.
Read MoreOne in ten Australians provide care for a loved one, sustaining families and saving governments huge sums on care services. Associate Professor Myra Hamilton explains why COVID-19 has increased the pressure for Australia’s many unpaid carers and the impact this is having.
Read MoreHistorically, epidemics have brought a double threat: first to Indigenous health, then to Indigenous self-determination. Here Aileen Marwung Walsh and Laura Rademaker explain why Indigenous self-determination is vital to beat COVID-19.
Read MoreHuman psychology plays a key role in how we respond to pandemics.
Victoria University of Wellington’s Dougal Sutherland unpacks the factors that determine our behaviour during lockdown.
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