This paper is a timeline of key events in relation to COVID-19 and Indigenous Australians from 1 January to 31 May 2020. There is an introductory note on health outcomes and population distribution to give context to the vulnerable situation of many Indigenous Australians and government and other responses during this period.
The Australian Government funds Indigenous-specific primary
health care largely via Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations
(ACCHOs). Other Indigenous-specific health initiatives funded by the Australian
Government include research, immunisation, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
initiatives, health workforce strategies and substance abuse programs.[5]
State and territory governments are generally responsible for running public
hospitals, preventative health services, community mental health services, and
ambulance and emergency services.[6]
Due to the poor health outcomes experienced by Indigenous Australians
generally and during one of the most recent influenza pandemics,[10]
because large portions of the population live outside major centres where
access to services are limited, and as the Indigenous population is highly
mobile with communities having a high flow of visitors, Indigenous Australians
are identified as an at-risk group in the Australian
health sector emergency response plan for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and
have a subsequent management plan.[11]
Particular concern exists for remote communities where health
and socioeconomic outcomes are known to be particularly poor. Exacerbating
issues include poor access to services, insecure food and essential supply
chains, and inadequate housing stock resulting in overcrowding. Moreover, the
interconnected nature of Indigenous populations in remote communities where
kinship ties and their obligations extend to a wide cross-section of the
community (and other communities) makes social distancing and isolating
culturally problematic. At the date of publication, there had been no outbreaks
of COVID-19 in remote Indigenous communities.[12]
The following contains a timeline of key events in relation
to COVID-19 and Indigenous Australians from January until the end of May 2020. For
context, other select events and activities relating to the COVID-19 pandemic
in Australia have also been provided.[13]
|
Milestones
|
Details
|
Source
Documents
|
|
January
|
Apunipima Cape York Health Council reportedly begins
developing a response to a possible outbreak.
|
A McQuire, ‘Aboriginal
community health’s success with Covid-19’, The Saturday Paper, 298, April 25–May
1, 2020
|
|
13 January
|
First confirmed case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
in Australia.
|
Department of Health, ‘2019-nCoV
acute respiratory disease, Australia Epidemiology Report 1, 2019-nCoV acute
respiratory disease’, Communicable Diseases
Intelligence, 44, 2020
|
|
February
|
Northern Territory Land Councils produce messages
in Aboriginal languages about
COVID-19.
|
Northern Territory government, ’Messages
in language’,
Coronavirus (COVID-19) webpage, accessed 12 May 2020
|
|
25 February
|
Australian Government activates the Emergency
Response Plan for Communicable Disease Incidents of National Significance:
National Arrangements.
|
Department of Health, Emergency
Response Plan for Communicable Disease Incidents of National Significance:
National Arrangements, May 2018, accessed 12 May 2020
|
|
March
|
The National Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) convenes the COVID-19 Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group in early March. |
NACCHO, Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group communique 10 March 2020,
accessed 12 May 2020
|
|
Remote communities take action to close their
own borders including the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands and
some Cape York and Western Australian communities.
|
A McQuire, ‘Aboriginal
community health’s success with Covid-19’, The Saturday Paper, 298, April 25–May
1, 2020
|
|
2 March
|
First case of community transmission in
Australia.
|
G Hunt (Minister for Health) and B Murphy
(Chief Medical Officer), Update
on COVID-19 in Australia – Community Transmission, joint statement,
2 March 2020
|
|
5 March
|
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group on COVID-19
established, co-chaired by the Department of Health and the National Aboriginal
Community Controlled Health Organisation.
|
L de Toca, Australian
Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate Select
Committee on COVID-19, 13 May 2020, p. 25
|
|
11 March
|
Australian government announces $2.4 billion
health package to address COVID-19.
|
S Morrison (Prime Minister), G Hunt
(Minister for Health), R Colbeck (Minister for Aged Care and Senior
Australians), $2.4
Billion Health Plan to Fight COVID-19, joint media release, 11 March
2020.
|
|
13 March
|
Urgent calls from the Aboriginal health sector
for more resources to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities from COVID-19.
|
C Mackinolty, ‘Urgent
calls for more resources to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities from COVID-19’,
Croaky website, 13 March 2020
|
|
14 March
|
Northern Land Council (NLC) suspends all
permits for non-essential travel on Aboriginal land in the northern half of
mainland Northern Territory (roughly Darwin to Elliot).
|
NLC, The
NLC announces suspension of all permits to enter Aboriginal land for
non-essential travel, media release, 14 March 2020
|
|
15 March
|
First National Cabinet on coronavirus held.
Measures announced include a self-isolation
requirement on all international arrivals; ban cruise ships from foreign
ports from arriving at Australian ports; and additional social distancing
requirements such as a ban on non-essential gatherings of more than 500
people.
|
S Morrison (Prime Minister), Transcript
of Press Conference, Sydney NSW, 15 March 2020
|
|
16 March
|
Central Land Council (CLC) calls for cancelling
of all non-essential travel to remote communities in its region (southern
half of the Northern Territory, roughly Tennant Creek to SA border).
|
CLC, Cancel all non-essential travel to remote communities, media release, 16 March 2020
|
|
18 March
|
Central Land Council (CLC) calls for suspension
of the government’s work-for-the-dole scheme (Community Development
Program) and cancels mineral exploration and tourism permits in its region. |
CLC, CLC
calls for suspension of work-for-the-dole scheme, cancels exploration and
tourism permits and Aboriginal corporation meetings, media release,
18 March 2020
|
|
Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern
Territory (AMSANT) calls for stronger measures by the government to reduce
the risk of the spread of COVID-19 to Aboriginal communities by staff and
non-essential service providers. AMSANT also called for the suspension of
participation requirements of the Community Development Program. AMSANT said
it called for these measures partly in response to a letter from the National
Indigenous Australians Agency regarding funding under its Indigenous
Advancement Strategy (IAS) which expressed that IAS-funded activities should
continue to the fullest extent possible.
|
AMSANT, Aboriginal medical service demands urgent change to work-for-dole
rules to reduce coronavirus risk, media
release, 18 March 2020 |
|
Second National Cabinet on coronavirus announces
additional measures including a ban on non-essential indoor gatherings of
greater than 100 people; further restrictions on outdoor gatherings; and enhanced
arrangements to protect older Australians in Residential Aged Care Facilities.
|
S Morrison (Prime Minister), Update
on coronavirus measures, media statement, 18 March 2020
|
|
20 March
|
Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt announces
that the National Cabinet has given in-principle approval for the Health
minister to take action under the Commonwealth Biosecurity Act 2015
pursuant to restricting access to remote communities.
|
K Wyatt (Minister for Indigenous
Australians), Reducing
the spread of COVID-19 to Indigenous communities, media statement, 20
March 2020
|
|
Northern Territory government reports two
coronavirus cases in Darwin bringing the NT total to three.
|
Department of the Chief Minister, Northern
Territory coronavirus (COVID-19) update, media release, 20 March 2020
|
|
In a release by Aboriginal Peak Organisations
Northern Territory (APONT), Aboriginal leaders call on the Northern Territory
government to declare the Northern Territory and adjoining remote areas of South
Australia and Western Australia a special controlled area to protect
Aboriginal communities.
|
APONT, NT Aboriginal leadership demands virus special control area now, media release 20 March 2020
|
|
Tasmania implements border restrictions.
|
P Gutwein (Premier), Nation leading border restrictions to protect Tasmanians, media release, 19 March 2020
|
|
23 March
|
The rate of the main Australian Government
unemployment payment, JobSeeker
Payment, is temporarily increased through the $550 per fortnight
Coronavirus Supplement, as are a number of other social security payment
rates including the ABSTUDY Living Allowance. The
supplement is scheduled to be paid from 27 April until 24 September 2020.
|
The Treasury, ‘Increased
income support’,
Economic Response to the Coronavirus, Treasury website, accessed 1 June 2020[14]
|
|
24 March
|
Northern Territory government announces it will
be putting forward its Emergency Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 which
will amend the Public and Environmental Health Act 2011 to increase
the allowable duration of public health emergencies from five to 90 days. The
Bill also amends the Information Act 2002 to allow government agencies
to collect and share information. NT
government also implements border restrictions.
|
N Fyles (Leader of Government Business), Parliamentary
Review: emergency legislation to protect Territorians, media release,
24 March 2020
|
|
Western Australia and South Australia implement
border restrictions.
|
ABC, ‘Western
Australia, South Australia to close borders in response to coronavirus
pandemic’, ABC News
website, 22 March 2020
|
|
25 March
|
Queensland implements border restrictions.
|
A Palaszczuk (Premier), Border control slows virus spread,
media statement, 24 March 2020.
|
|
New South Wales government amends Crimes
(Administration of Sentences) Act 1993 to allow for early and
temporary release of vulnerable inmates, including Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people, and low risk offenders from prisons and youth
detention facilities.[15]
|
NSW government, COVID-19 emergency laws introduced to parliament to boost community
safety, media release, 24 March 2020
|
|
Australian government announces 45 flexible
grants to help Indigenous communities protect themselves against COVID-19.
The grant package is part of the broader health funding of $2.4 billion to
fight the coronavirus. This includes $6.9 million through the National
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, its sector support
organisations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled
Health Services to coordinate the COVID-19 response.
|
G Hunt (Minister for
Health) and K Wyatt (Minister for Indigenous Australians), Government
backs remote communities with COVID-19 support, Joint Media Release,
25 March 2020
|
|
26 March
|
Remote area travel restrictions commence
at 11:59pm. Notably pastoral leases in the NT, which comprise 44% of the NT land
mass, are excluded.
|
G Hunt (Minister for
Health) and K Wyatt (Minister for Indigenous Australians), Travel restrictions for remote areas commence tonight, media release, 26 March 2020
|
|
27 March
|
Australian Medical Association (AMA) calls on
the National Cabinet to ‘urgently fund and
resource Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander health services to ensure they can
respond to COVID-19’.
|
AMA, The health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be
a priority in COVID-19 response, media
release, 27 March 2020
|
|
29 March
|
Department
of Health weekly epidemiology report for the week ending 29 March shows
27 cases (0.6% of total cases) reported in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander persons since the start of the outbreak. The majority of these cases
are from major cities.
|
Department of Health, ‘COVID-19,
Australia: Epidemiology Report 9’, Communicable Diseases
Intelligence, 44, 2020
|
|
30 March
|
Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs
temporarily suspends its inquiry into Pathways
and participation opportunities for Indigenous Australians in employment and
business due to COVID-19.
|
J Leeser (Chair of Standing Committee on
Indigenous Affairs), Indigenous opportunity inquiry is on hold, media release, 30 March 2020
|
|
JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme is announced. |
S Morrison (Prime Minister) and J
Frydenberg (Treasurer), $130 billion jobkeeper payment to keep Australians in a job, media release, 30 March 2020[16]
|
|
National Cabinet announces reductions to public
gatherings to two people; that people should leave their homes only to shop
for essentials, to travel to work or education or to receive medical care; a
6 month ban on rental evictions, and that a number of businesses including
gyms, pubs and cinemas should close.
|
Australian Government, Key coronavirus
updates archived by day, 25 March, AG
website, accessed 12 May 2020
|
|
Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Populations published by the Department of Health.
This is intended to support the objectives of the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel
Coronavirus (COVID-19) by focusing on
‘culturally appropriate testing and care for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples, and for specific locations including remote
communities’.
|
Department of Health (DoH), Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations, DoH, Canberra, March 2020
|
|
April
|
Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
(CAEPR) at the Australian National University (ANU) release the paper, Indigenous
Australians and the COVID-19 crisis: Perspectives on public policy. The
paper includes chapters on Indigenous incomes, employment, self-determination,
domestic violence, health workforce, schools, energy security and a
post-crisis policy response.
|
F Markham, D Smith and F Morphy, ‘Indigenous
Australians and the COVID-19 crisis: perspectives on public policy’, CAEPR, (1), April 2020
|
|
Group of Eight universities releases its Roadmap
to Recovery report, which in relation to Indigenous people highlights the
need to address overcrowding in housing and local provision of services,
among other things.
|
Group of Eight (Go8) Australia,
Roadmap
to recovery – a report for the nation, Go8, April 2020
|
|
Temporary changes to the Community Development
Program including the suspension of face-to-face activities, provision of
monthly set payments provided in lieu of participation activities, and lifting
of any suspensions and penalties and an increase in rate of payment in line
with Jobseeker.
|
National Indigenous Australians
Agency (NIAA), Coronavirus
(Covid-19) support measures: service providers and businesses, NIAA
website, accessed 13 May 2020
|
|
2 April
|
In response to state and territory governments
issuing fines for people not practicing social distancing, Amnesty
International issued a media release criticising the $1,600 fine regime saying
that this will disproportionally target Indigenous people who already suffer
poor socioeconomic outcomes and are over-represented in prisons.
|
Amnesty International Australia, Measures designed to protect push Indigenous people further to the
margins, media quote, 2 April 2020
|
|
Western Australian government announces restrictions
on travel within the Kimberley region, following confirmation of a
number of positive COVID-19 cases. Kimberley residents
urged to stay within their local government boundary.
|
M McGowan (Premier), Stronger
restrictions in place to protect Kimberley residents from COVID-19,
media statement, 2 April 2020
|
|
Central Land Council (CLC) warns of food
security issues in remote communities and that residents may leave
communities to travel to regional centres for goods. The CLC calls on the
government to act on matters such as price gouging and to provide freight
subsidies and supply guarantees for remote stores. The CLC also expressed ‘surprise’
and ‘dismay’ over the exempting of pastoral leases from travel
restrictions under the Biosecurity Act measures. The
total NT pastoral estate is 44 per cent of the NT land mass.
|
CLC, Food
security alert: remote communities will defy stay home orders, CLC
media release, 2 April 2020.
|
|
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt,
announces $123 million over two years to support Indigenous communities and
businesses in their responses to COVID-19. This includes:
- $10 million from the Aboriginals Benefit Account to the four Northern
Territory Land Councils for immediate needs and expenses associated with
people returning to homelands, people who may be required to self-isolate and
to deal with the remote travel restrictions.
- $10 million to Community Night Patrol to assist in ensuring community
safety including support to providers to expand or alter current services in
relation to travel restrictions and social distancing requirements.
- $23 million from the Indigenous Advancement Strategy to enhance
Indigenous social programs whose delivery is impacted by COVID-19.
- $5 million from the Indigenous Advancement Strategy to expand the
delivery of school nutrition projects to continue through pupil-free days and
school holidays, to accommodate the higher costs in relation to COVID-19, and
to expand the program to other vulnerable members of the remote Indigenous
communities.
- $50 million available via Indigenous Business
Australia to help businesses including loans and support services for example
in relation to administering JobKeeper.
- $25 million through the Indigenous Advancement
Strategy for an employment initiative targeted at regions and industries
facing labour shortfalls as a result of COVID-19.
|
K Wyatt (Minister for Indigenous
Australians), $123
million boost to Indigenous response to COVID-19, media release, 2
April 2020
|
|
3 April
|
Queensland government restricts access through
its borders to Queensland residents and exempt persons only.
|
Queensland Government, ‘Queensland
border closure’, Unite
& recover website, accessed 13 May 2020
|
|
5 April
|
Ken Wyatt announces $234,500 in funding for
First Nations Media Australia to carry the message about COVID-19 to
Indigenous communities.
|
K Wyatt (Minister for Indigenous
Australians), Additional
funding to get accurate information to Indigenous Australians, media
release, 5 April 2020
|
|
6 April
|
Western Australia border closure commences.
|
Department of the Premier and Cabinet, COVID-19 coronavirus: WA border closure,
Government of WA website, accessed 13 May 2020
|
|
8 April
|
Ken Wyatt hosts a meeting with the NT Chief
Minister and representatives from the Arnhem Land Progress Association,
Islanders Board of Industry and Service, Outback Stores, Coles, Woolworths
and Metcash to discuss supply of essential goods including groceries to
remote communities.
|
K Wyatt (Minister for Indigenous
Australians), Securing
the essentials for remote communities, media statement, 8 April 2020
|
|
Northern Territory Minister for Education,
Selena Uibo announces school holiday incentives for remote teachers to remain
in community, comprised of a one-off payment of $500 and an extra day’s
leave.
|
S Uibo (Minister for Education), School holiday incentives for remote teachers to remain in
community, media statement, 8 April 2020.
|
|
Technical amendments made to the Biosecurity Act.
|
Biosecurity
(Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential)
(Emergency Requirements for Remote Communities) Determination 2020
|
|
Australian Capital Territory government amends
legislation to allow for early release of prisoners to help stop the spread
of COVID-19 in correctional facilities.
|
Corrections
Management Act 2007 (ACT)
|
|
9 April
|
Western Australian government places on hold
consultation process for its Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill due to
COVID-19.
|
B Wyatt (Aboriginal Affairs Minister), Timeframe amended for new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill due to
COVID-19, media release, 9 April 2020
|
|
Northern Territory government amends delivery
of youth services to limit face-to-face contact in lead up to school
holidays.
|
D Wakefield (Minister for Territory
Families), Innovation for the Territory's youth services in COVID-19 times, media statement, 9 April 2020
|
|
10 April
|
Queensland government announces that they have
supported freight drops for regional and remote areas to help secure supply
in the lead up to the Easter long weekend.
|
A Palaszczuk (Premier) and C Dick
(Minister for Trade), Easter supplies bound for Queensland rural and remote communities, media statement, 10 April 2020
|
|
15 April
|
Australian Labor Party ministers and shadow
ministers hold first joint meeting to discuss COVID-19 and Indigenous
Australians.
|
L Burney, W Snowdon, P Dodson and M
McCarthy, COVID-19 cannot be excuse to let First Nations issues fall by the
wayside, transcript, 15 April 2020
|
|
16 April
|
Australian Government announces $3.3 million
for its Remote Point of Care Testing Program for remote and rural Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities. Under the program testing times are expected
to be reduced to around 45 minutes.
|
G Hunt (Minister for Health), K Wyatt (Minister
for Indigenous Australians) and M Coulton (Minister for Regional Health), Rapid COVID-19 testing to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities, media release, 16 April
2020
|
|
17 April
|
Central Australian Health Service in Alice
Springs establishes the Ross facility in Alice Springs for Aboriginal people
with COVID-19 who don’t require hospitalisation, to isolate from the
general community.
|
Department of Health (NT), The Ross opens in Alice Springs,
media release, 17 April 2020
|
|
20 April
|
Coalition of 13 Aboriginal organisations in the
Northern Territory call on the national cabinet to guarantee the supply of
affordable food and other basics in locked-down remote communities.
|
AMSANT, "No more time to waste": Aboriginal leaders demand a
guarantee of affordable goods for remote communities now, media release, 20 April 2020
|
|
21 April
|
Federal Labor parliamentarians’ warn that
a lack
of affordable basic goods and essential items could force people to leave
remote communities and undermine isolation measures; and notes that
overcrowding in remote communities limits people’s ability to
self-isolate.
|
L Burney (Shadow Minister for Indigenous
Australians), W Snowdon (Senator for the Northern Territory), P Dodson
(Senator for Western Australia) and M McCarthy (Senator for the Northern
Territory) , Lack of affordable basics in remote Aboriginal communities
undermines COVID-19 response, media release
21 April 2020
|
|
24 April
|
Amendment to the Biosecurity Act (Cth) takes
effect. The amendment removes from the designated areas where travel is
restricted, those areas containing communities adjacent to the townships of
Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Mataranka.
|
Biosecurity
(Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential)
(Emergency Requirements for Remote Communities) Determination 2020
|
|
Under the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund an additional $7
million is made available through the Indigenous Visual Arts
Industry Support (IVAIS) Program. Payments of up to $85,000 to
Indigenous art centres and $70,000 to Indigenous art fairs are being provided
to maintain operations and employment levels.
|
Australian government, COVID-19
Relief and Recovery Fund, fact sheet, 24 April 2020
|
|
26 April
|
Department of Health weekly
epidemiology report for the week ending 26 April notes an increase of 25 cases
of COVID-19 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons, bringing
total cases to 52 (0.8% of all cases) . The majority of these cases are from major
cities with none from remote areas.
|
Department of Health, ‘COVID-19, Australia:
Epidemiology Report 13’, Communicable Diseases Intelligence,
44, 26 April 2020
|
|
30 April
|
Northern Territory government announces a staged
approach to easing restrictions under its Roadmap to the new normal.
No changes are made regarding remote community restrictions, which are set to
expire on 18 June.
|
M Gunner (Chief Minister), The Territory's roadmap to the new normal, media statement, 30 April 2020
|
|
May
1 May
|
Prime Minister in his update to the National
Cabinet meeting outlines the conditions required to facilitate easing of
restrictions and provides a copy of the Australian Health Principle
Protection Committee’s status of precedent conditions.
|
S Morrison (Prime Minister), Update
on coronavirus measures, statement, 1 May 2020
|
|
Greens Senator Rachel Siewert calls on the
Minister for Indigenous Australians to act to ensure food security in remote
communities, saying she has heard accounts of scarcity and high prices in
remote communities.
|
R Siewert (Senator for Western Australia),
Minister must urgently act to ensure food security in remote communities, media release, 1 May 2020
|
|
3 May
|
Department of Health weekly
epidemiology report for the week ending 3 May showed an increase of three
cases of COVID-19 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons, bringing
total cases to 55 (0.8% of all cases). None of these cases were from remote
areas.
|
Department of Health, ‘COVID-19, Australia:
Epidemiology Report 14’, Communicable Diseases Intelligence,
44, 3 May 2020
|
|
8 May
|
Prime Minister announces National
Cabinet’s three
step plan for easing restrictions.
|
S Morrison (Prime Minister), Update
on coronavirus measures, statement, 8 May 2020
|
|
11 May
|
Australian Capital Territory government
allocates $580,000 to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and
services to support them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
R Stephen-Smith (Minister for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Affairs), Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to
respond to COVID-19, media release, 11 May
2020
|
|
13 May
|
AMA calls for an increase in funding for
Indigenous people commensurate with their relatively poor health outcomes:
Given Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
comprise three per cent of the total population, and the burden of disease is
2.3 times higher than non-Indigenous Australians, it is reasonable for a
benchmark amount of around seven per cent of total COVID-19 health funding be
earmarked [for] Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
|
AMA, Greater support needed to protect the health of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people beyond COVID-19 pandemic, media release, 13 May 2020
|
|
In a Ministerial Statement, the Minister for
Health, Greg Hunt, says that GP respiratory clinics have been established in
up to 15 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, and up to 83 rapid
COVID-19 point-of-care testing programs for remote and rural Indigenous communities
will be implemented.
|
G Hunt (Minister for Health), Australia’s
COVID-19 health response,, Ministerial Statement, 13 May 2020
|
|
15 May
|
Human biosecurity emergency period under the
Biosecurity Act is extended by three months to 17 September 2020. It
does not mean that remote travel restrictions must be extended to this date;
only that they can be.
|
Biosecurity
(Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential)
Declaration 2020
|
|
National Cabinet agrees to a framework to inform decisions regarding lifting travel
restrictions in remote areas. |
S Morrison (Prime Minister), Update
on coronavirus measures, statement, 15 May 2020.
|
|
$29.5 million (part of broader $41.8m mental
health initiative) announced by the Health minister for mental health
outreach to vulnerable communities including Indigenous communities.
|
S Morrison, Press
conference, Transcript, 15 May 2020
|
|
17 May
|
Department of Health weekly
epidemiology report for the week ending 17 May showed an increase of four
cases to 59 cases (0.8%) reported in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
persons since the start of the outbreak. None of these cases were from remote
areas.
|
Department of Health, ‘COVID-19, Australia:
Epidemiology Report 16’, Communicable Diseases Intelligence,
44, 17 May 2020
|
|
25 May
|
Western Australian government announces $1.5
million funding to support artists during COVID-19 including $525,000 for
Aboriginal artists through a targeted acquisition program to purchase
existing works.
|
D Templeman (Minister for Culture and the
Arts), Support for WA artists through $1.5 million COVID support program, media statement, 25 May 2020
|
|
26 May
|
The Royal Australian College of General
Practitioners, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
(NACCHO), the Lowitja Institute, and The Australian National University announce
they are working together to provide advice for primary healthcare teams
supporting prevention and management of COVID-19 for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people.
|
NACCHO, Supporting prevention and management of COVID-19 for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people, NACCHO
website, 26 May 2020
|
|
Health minister announces that Northern Territory
remote travel restrictions will be lifted on 5 June.
|
G Hunt (Minister for Health) and S McMahon
(Senator for the Northern Territory), Remote
travel restrictions lifted in the Northern Territory, joint media
release, 26 May 2020
|
|
27 May
|
Change the Record release report examining the
impact of COVID-19 policies on First Nations communities in the areas of
policing, prisons, family violence, child protection and access to justice.
|
S Trevitt, Critical
Condition - the impact of Covid-19 policies, policing and prisons on First
Nations communities, Change the Record website, 27 May 2020
|
|
28 May
|
Queensland government announces it has invested
$21 million to support the health and wellbeing of First Nations
Queenslanders and communities during COVID-19.
|
S Miles (Minister for Health), Major
funding boost for First Nations COVID-19 response, media statement,
28 May 2020
|
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