The immediate and long-term wellbeing impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic have been widely recognised by both the Commonwealth and Victorian State Government. A whole-of-community approach that considers well known social determinants of health and pandemic-related stressors and continued reforms towards culturally responsive mental health systems, will be vital to ensure that individuals and communities from all backgrounds are safe.
This Issues Brief focuses on the immediate consequences for groups within Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, especially in regard to implications for mental health and wellbeing.
New migrants and people of refugee background, for instance, are known as groups who experienced barriers to access quality mental health care prior to the pandemic. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this gap has been amplified. The emergency responses from Commonwealth and Victorian State governments, at times by design (as in the Federal decision to exclude temporary visa holders from emergency financial assistance) and, in other cases, unintentionally, have accentuated existing inequities.
Media Enquiries
For media enquiries or more information, please contact:
Email: media@eccv.org.au
Phone: 0431 091 738
