Standing with communities in Western and South Western Sydney during COVID-19
We express our concern at the continued impact that lockdown measures are having on our partners and community members across Western and South Western Sydney.
Our communities are deeply affected by these stay-at-home orders. We note the reliance across the suburbs of Western and South Western Sydney, including the Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown local government areas (LGAs), on regular pay instalments. These income sources are a means of paying rent, providing for children and elderly family members and ensuring that basic needs are satisfied. The interruption of these income sources cannot and in many cases will not be compensated, incurring long-term impacts to the wellbeing of families and individuals.
We note the severity of the response to alleged lockdown infringements in these areas. Continuous police patrols, including mounted police and helicopter patrols, seem to have been selectively imposed on the multicultural and often working-class suburbs of Western and South Western Sydney. In areas where vulnerable communities from refugee backgrounds have fled police and military violence, these measures can cause undue distress.
We encourage more considered messaging campaigns which speak to religious and cultural community leaders ‘on the ground’ to pass on essential information in the languages spoken by their communities.
I.C.E will be facilitating and sharing use of the following resources in the days and weeks ahead. We welcome any expressions of need, via our social media (Instagram: ice_org_au, Facebook: @ICEorgau, Twitter: @ice_org_au) or via email: [email protected]
- Emergency food parcels
- Support accessing Legal Aid advice regarding public health orders fines, Work and Development Orders and quarantine fees in the time of COVID-19
- Support accessing translated resources
- Information regarding work restrictions in affected LGAs to help prevent undue loss of employment
- Support accessing vaccinations
- Zoom and phone call support to foster arts practice
- Support accessing therapy and mental health advice
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