'Confusion and misinformation': Labor wants more health translation services for multicultural communities

Labor is calling on the Morrison government to urgently fund a $500,000 program to make sure Australians who don't speak English as a first language understand vital information during the coronavirus pandemic.state's second wave of COVID-19 casesSocial service groups have been particularly worried about the nine Flemington and North Melbourne public housing estates that have been forced into lockdown and house many residents who don't speak English as their first language.

Opposition multicultural affairs spokesman Andrews Giles said the latest wave of cases in Melbourne showed how critical it was to ensure COVID-19 messages could be understood by everyone.He said there were "worrying examples of confusion and misinformation" in the state. "In a modern multicultural society, there can't be a one-size-fits all approach to sharing important information," Mr Giles said. "Recent events in Melbourne show just how critical it is that we ensure that everyone can access up-to-date information to keep themselves, and those around them, safe."

More than one in five Australian households speak a language other than English but this figure is higher in many of the Melbourne suburbs where there have been COVID-19 outbreaks in recent weeks.

The committee, which provides advice to the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, said community representatives and trusted intermediaries with a long track record of engaging with communities should be essential to COVID-19 communication efforts.

Not all of us have succeeded in learning a second language have you? I can get by with a bit of French but I wouldn't be able to understand this mess in French. Subtitles on the TV would be the easiest or pre recorded messages on the telephone. PH is farcical

So where's the bastion of multicultural broadcasting, SBS , to inform these people daily? SBS Radio certainly has the personnel to do the job in more than 70 languages. But, not a peep from them. Why do you exist SBS? Why are we paying you?

Yeh let’s spend more money on stupid stuff. Why can’t these people just learn English? Last time I checked it’s an English speaking country. AustralianLabor

Labor have never been able to read the mood of the electorate. The people in the towers saying they didn’t understand Is a pitiful excuse of moronic cretins to not know we are in a Pandemic.

And are you telling me, NO ONE in these family groups speaks or reads English, or watches, listens to the news...so none of them go out to work, os they would not know about the virus...FFS, give us a break!

So after just 24hrs the SMH agrees with Pauline Hanson.

Yeah, 'diversity is our strength' 🙄

Tax payer have to pay because they don't want to learn to speak English Hmm? Over 50 different language Hmm, Why not say if you want to come to Australia then learn to speak English “it’s free”

So .....Pauline Hanson was right , again .

Isn’t the state government down there Labor?

A suggestion, hire those hibernating film support companies or meal catering companies (for the airline) to prepare meal for these tower blocks. Great for the economy and social benefit to boot.

they came here as refugee They have an obligation to speak English It is not up to us to print Centrelink or health leaflets in 50 lingos

The important thing here is to acknowledge that BlackLivesMattters

I want to know who put forward the 5 days timeline. It had became obvious that is an ambit claim! No more lies and be upfront please.

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