Benjamin Millar
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound social and economic impact on people living in Melton, according to a new report.
The City of Melton ‘COVID-19 Social and Economic Impacts Report’, tabled at last week’s council meeting, paints a picture of a community hit hard by a range of health, social, financial and other impacts during the period since the pandemic took hold in Victoria.
The report was prepared by community planning manager Elyse Rider following a request made in May by councillor Ashleigh Vandenberg.
It identified “significant and widespread” concerns resulting from the COVID-19 impact across Melton, with the hardship experienced locally more deeply felt in some areas than in Greater Melbourne, such as a rise in unemployment rates to 11.1 per cent and a 40 per cent spike in family violence rates.
“Existing social inequalities have been compounded by the pandemic and associated social distancing restrictions, resulting in impacts being experienced disproportionately by certain cohorts of the community,” according to the report.
Cr Vandenberg said it was important for the council to do what it can to help.
“COVID-19 has had such an impact on our community and we need to work together in its recovery process.”
The report noted more than 400 calls had been made to the COVID-19 hotline and that local community services were “inundated with calls” seeking support.
“Experts predict that the full impact of COVID-19 won’t be evident for a further three to four years due to the ongoing nature of financial hardship in growth areas.”
Community Connector Hubs also supported more than 5600 community residents between May and August last year.
As well as outlining the impacts of the pandemic, the report used the findings to develop a “recovery and resilience” framework to guide the council’s response to immediate acute need.
“Local services, community groups, settings and community members have shown significant strength and resilience throughout these challenging times,” the report stated.
“Council is well placed to partner with state and federal governments to bring together the local community and local service sector, to deliver a collaborative recovery effort and move forward together to become a resilient community in the face of future challenges.”
