Facing the biggest global crisis since World War 2, we are seeing the best and worst of what humanity has to offer. Selfless medical and other frontline staff are braving the virus day after day (and we would like to sincerely thank them) and we see people reaching out to their neighbours and offering to do their shopping or leaving food out for them.
On the flipside, after we saw empty supermarket shelves and shoppers fight over toilet paper and hand sanitiser, store owners are now having to ration the number of essential items we can purchase.
There is also the “she’ll be right” attitude which saw huge crowds at Bondi Beach recently, leading to the closure of most eastern suburbs beaches. A Vocal Minority staffer reports that Coogee Beach is open again. Those on the beach are observing social distancing rules, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks… Another hot day may see numbers soar again although we could see the opposite if we enter a lockdown.
The response from our various world leaders has ranged from the impressive (queue Jacinda Ardern) to the inconsistent (Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson) to the just plain unhinged (do I even need to name them? One of them rhymes with “bump”).
So where does this leave us at the Vocal Minority? We continue our work to support charities so they can be there for those who need help. It is more important than ever that we all pitch in where we can to help those less fortunate.
The flow-on effects from the medical emergency will be economic and societal, and there will be a major increase in those needing help. Unemployment rates are exploding, so much so that the Centrelink website couldn’t handle the traffic and crashed (“My bad,” said Government Services Minister Stuart Robert after first blaming the crash on hackers).
The Guardian Australia’s Greg Jericho estimates that unemployment in Australia will continue to rise as shops and service providers around the country close up shop. The consequences of all of this will be even more people under stress financially and psychologically, an increase in homelessness and even more reliance on charities and NGOs.
So we will continue to advocate for the charity sector and drive opportunities to become a regular donor in the areas that resonate with you.
Please contact us if you have any questions or suggestions for topics for us to cover.
Take care and stay safe,
The Vocal Minority Team