COVID-19 and Aboriginal Communities – Essential Information

Homelessness

Domestic violence

Child protection

NSW Communities and Justice has collated information about how our service delivery has changed to keep people in the community safe during the pandemic.

You can help keep your community safe by calling the NSW Communities and Justice instead of visiting its offices.

• Contact the Aboriginal Housing Office: 1800 727 555 or visit the Aboriginal Housing Office website.
• Aboriginal Enquiry Line (DCJ Housing) 1800 422 322
• Child Protection Helpline 13 2111
• Link2Home Homelessness 1800 152 152
• Domestic Violence Line 1800 656 463
• Ageing and Disability Abuse 1800 628 221

Short to medium-term financial support is available for people escaping domestic or family violence. To find out if you are eligible visit the Rent Choice Start Safely page on the Department of Communities & Justice website.

Find out how the NSW Communities and Justice essential services continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes housing, child and family services, courts, corrective services and youth justice.

NSW Communities and Justice contacts are available on its website.

NSW Communities and Justice has outlined advice for COVID-19 DCJ Housing tenants.

Caring for Elders

We need to look out for our Aboriginal Elders, community members over 50 and those with chronic illness like diabetes or heart disease. They’re the ones at greatest risk of COVID-19.

Staying at home is important, but remember to check in with your mob. A phone call, a video chat or even a quick message on social media – it’s good to stay connected.

Check in with your family, friends and neighbours to lend a hand. From a safe distance you can offer to:

• Collect groceries for Elders, carers or people with a disability and leave them at the front door.
• Drop a meal around to a neighbour.
• Help with online orders for groceries, medicines and other essential items.
• Read a book or play a game over a video chat, to help families with young kids home from school.

Visit the NSW Health website for Aboriginal health resources. 

Legal Aid

• Legal Aid NSW office doors are closed to protect public safety.
• Legal Aid NSW will not be providing face-to-face advice or representation to defendants who are not in custody.
• Continuing to provide services by phone.

Legal Aid NSW offer free legal help if you are facing legal issues that relate to the COVID-19 public health laws. This includes employment problems, social security entitlements, family law issues or parenting problems.

You can call LawAccess on 1300 888 529 or check out a range of fact sheets available including Understanding the COVID-19 restrictions.

For more information visit: Legal Aid NSW

Your rights

For information on your rights related to retail, travel and rental visit the NSW Fair Trading website.

NSW Government

Find a list of benefits and services in health and wellbeing, employment, skills and training, food, housing and finances, tailored specifically for you or your business through the COVID Assistance Finder. 

For more information visit the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce website.

For information regarding relief measures to help anyone impacted by COVID-19 visit the Revenue NSW website.

Support for small business is outlined on the NSW Small Business Commission website.

If you are a small business who would like to access support, visit the Service NSW website.

For information regarding Centrelink, visit the myGov website. Access the Centrelink tool on the Centrelink website.

For information regarding the Australian Tax Office visit the myGov website.

Commonwealth

The Commonwealth Government is also providing support to Aboriginal businesses, organisations and workers.

If you are an Aboriginal business experiencing financial distress you may be eligible for support through temporary relief for financially distressed businesses. Some measures under the financial distress package also apply to Indigenous corporations registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) (CATSI) Act 2006.

Indigenous Business Australia has a range of support packages including for existing clients.

The Government is allowing individuals affected by COVID-19 further access to their superannuation: $10,000 in 2020-21. For more information visit the NSW Treasury website.

Northen Rivers 

Travel to and from NSW

Travellers from QLD 

From 5pm, 31 March 2021, rules and restrictions are in force and apply to the Tweed Shire, Ballina Shire, Byron Shire and City of Lismore local government areas to protect the community from COVID-19. 

For further information visit the NSW Government website. 

General information about travelling within NSW, and to and from NSW from interstate and overseas can also be found on the NSW Government website.

Under the public health order, if a concerns notice is issued identifying an affected area or place of high concern, certain rules and restrictions interstate travellers guidelines will apply if you are entering or have entered NSW.

For further information

• NSW Government interstate hotspots advice

NSW Health is advising people in NSW against non-essential travel to the Greater Brisbane area at this time.

Check Queensland's COVID-19 alerts before you travel.

We recommend you consult the information page first before contacting Aboriginal Affairs NSW (AANSW).

If you are unable to find a response to your query, AANSW can escalate the query to Service NSW, who will endeavour to respond and upload a response onto the information page.

You can find contact details for your closest AANSW office on our website.