UnitingCare Australia welcomes the Government’s announcement this morning to invest an additional $1.1B to support Australia’s most vulnerable, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures provide much needed investment into mental health, Medicare, domestic violence services, and emergency food relief.

“In these unprecedented times, the community needs our support more than ever. We know that our most vulnerable already face a higher degree of adversity and disadvantage in their day to day lives. In times of crisis their situation gets worse and they face even more hardship”, said National Director, Ms Claerwen Little.

“We welcome this package from the Morrison Government and look forward to further measures as the situation develops. Many Australians will be reaching out for our services for the first time and the organizations within the UnitingCare network are ready to support them” Ms Little said.

The UnitingCare network is one of the largest network of social services providers in Australia, supporting 1.4 million people every year across urban, rural and remote communities and powered by over 50,000 staff and 30,000 volunteers.

“We know that people need relief now, they need support now, and they need protection now. UnitingCare Australia acknowledges the tireless efforts of the community sector and their commitment to ongoing service delivery” Ms Little said.

“We look forward to working closely with Government to ensure a quick and effective roll out of these measures.”