Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie has called on the Prime Minister to deliver a portion of its $1 billion COVID-19 Coronavirus economic response package for the regions through grants to local government.

“Not in the living memory of many Australians have we experienced such a health crisis and an economic crisis in one event, and so now more than ever we need to deliver targeted support to our communities,” Rebekha says.

“When we look at which organisations are already meeting community needs directly through targeted community programs, it is often local government.

“I know my regional councils have carried out extraordinary community work during first the drought and then the bushfires.

“The Federal Government provided $1 million grants to councils through drought and bushfire assistance funding and I believe they should do the same with coronavirus.

“Local government often know which members of the community are vulnerable and isolated and they work closely with small NGOs if they are not providing the service delivery themselves, such as through social wellbeing programs.

“I'm deeply concerned that, without the community wellbeing support that will need to be delivered in different ways than it currently is; we will lose more people to mental health issues, exacerbated by loneliness and isolation, than potentially to coronavirus itself.

“Similarly, local government already supports the development of local industry groups such as tourism and agriculture, and is well placed to identify local solutions for local needs through their extensive and already well established networks.”

On 22 March the Government announced a second set of economic responses to COVID-19, including $1 billion to support regions most significantly affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. These funds are to be available to assist both during the outbreak and the recovery.

Rebekha says she has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to request that some of that funding be delivered through grants to local government.