news, national

Australia's charities fear "systemic collapse" may occur unless the sector receives government support as coronavirus hinders their ability to operate. The heads of Uniting Care, Anglicare, St Vincent de Paul Society, the Salvation Army and Catholic Social Services Australia have penned a letter to the prime minister asking for an industry support package. They have told Scott Morrison the sector is struggling as new social distancing rules put a stop to fundraising events, food rescue services and older volunteers are self-isolating. "Our organisations are deeply concerned that we face the systemic collapse of the community care, NDIS and homelessness services without urgent assistance from Australian governments," the letter says. "Many are already drawing on their reserves to operate. "Smaller organisations will not survive without support measures, leading to loss of important care to our most vulnerable citizens. We cannot allow a collapse of service providers during this critical time." The charities say they don't have access to personal protective equipment nor proper advice on how to safely provide services to vulnerable clients. The sector is largely made up of casual employees who will lose income if they have to self-isolate because of the virus. The charities are calling for fast-tracking of government payments to programs such as the NDIS, upfront funding for emergency supplies and guaranteed reimbursement of costs related to disaster preparedness. Industry-specific advice on how to manage interactions with clients is also on the wish list, as well as a clear point of contact for virus-related information at each government agency. Australian Associated Press

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/cbdb64f7-0078-47e5-8c8a-327fdcda1470.jpg/r0_74_800_526_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg