Page 2915 - Week 10 - Thursday, 7 October 2021
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Leave granted.
MR BRADDOCK: I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes that:
(a) the social and economic impacts of the ACT’s COVID outbreak are having disproportionate impacts across the community, deepening inequality. This has particularly affected groups already experiencing disadvantage;
(b) these impacts are likely to last for many years, entrenching existing inequality through wage scarring, underemployment, unemployment and reduced economic prospects;
(c) the Federal Government’s income supports are insufficient to keep Canberrans out of poverty, further exacerbating the economic consequences for marginalised groups;
(d) the Federal Government’s choice to stop the COVID disaster payments prioritises the economy over people, is inconsistent with ACT Health advice, and adversely affects thousands of Canberrans still facing restrictions;
(e) emergency relief is increasingly accessed repeatedly by Canberrans who are presenting with complex, long-term issues;
(f) the ACT Government has an essential role in providing long-term, strategic leadership, as well as supports and services, to help Canberra’s social recovery from COVID; and
(g) in 2020, the ACT Government commenced work on a community recovery plan to support our community through our extended pandemic community recovery, which is ongoing and being implemented. The Targeted Assistance Strategy, one of the ACT Government’s main mechanisms for alleviating hardship and social exclusion, has been agreed to be updated, with options potentially considered in the 2022 Budget process;
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) develop an ACT Social Recovery plan to address the social and economic impacts of COVID. This plan shall:
(i) identify:
(A) the long-term individual, community, and territory wide impacts of COVID, in particular on groups already experiencing disadvantage; and
(B) what personal, material, social and financial supports and strategies are necessary to help Canberra’s social recovery from COVID with a focus on marginalised or disadvantaged groups;
(ii) be developed in consultation with impacted groups and the wider community, and be clear about the time frames and likely consequences of living with COVID;
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