Every night, there are about 116,000 Australians who are considered homeless. There are even more that "sleep rough," and can't afford food and other staples. According to the 2020 Australian census, there are 3.24 million people living below the poverty line in Australia. When Australian states go into lockdown, and have a mask requirement, the prices of masks shoot up. Most of those who live in poverty are not able to purchase masks in advance, as they cannot afford to buy non-essentials. Many of them cannot simply use a cloth mask as they do not have a reliable method of washing it. On average, a pack of 50 disposable masks costs around 20 dollars when there is low demand. However, when demand is high, a pack of 50 masks can cost around 40 dollars. The majority of those living in poverty simply cannot afford that.
We are therefore asking the Australian government to make steps towards creating a program that provides masks for those living in poverty. This can be through providing discounted mask packs at certain locations, or it can be free masks at homeless shelters and/or soup kitchens. However it is executed, it is the government's responsibility to protect it's citizens, and this program would be doing just that.
Updates
July 21, 2021
I have been reading your messages about the difficulty of finding affordable supplies and it is clear that many people are struggling far more than I realized. You have shown me that this issue is much deeper than I first thought and I am truly humbled by the way you are all looking out for one another.
11 Comments
masks should be free for everyone anyway. this is basic stuff. hope the gov actually listens for once
This is so true. Everyone deserves to stay safe even if they dont have much money. Glad someone is speaking up about this.
good job. keep going!! :)
It's never too late to do better! We agree that a program like this should already have been created, and with the growing crisis in NSW, this is only becoming more relevant. Unfortunately, it has not been created, so we are taking the initiative to create it ourselves. Thanks for your comment.
I'm just here to say 'add more paragraphs or break up the big one, because man, it looks like an essay and not many people would wanna spend time reading it. Just add a few more spaces and boom.' :))
Towards a safer Australia equitable and caring
Great petition. Hope this helps the cause.
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Every night, there are about 116,000 Australians who are considered homeless. There are even more that "sleep rough," and can't afford food and other staples. According to the 2020 Australian census, there are 3.24 million people living below the poverty line in Australia. When Australian states go into lockdown, and have a mask requirement, the prices of masks shoot up. Most of those who live in poverty are not able to purchase masks in advance, as they cannot afford to buy non-essentials. Many of them cannot simply use a cloth mask as they do not have a reliable method of washing it. On average, a pack of 50 disposable masks costs around 20 dollars when there is low demand. However, when demand is high, a pack of 50 masks can cost around 40 dollars. The majority of those living in poverty simply cannot afford that.
We are therefore asking the Australian government to make steps towards creating a program that provides masks for those living in poverty. This can be through providing discounted mask packs at certain locations, or it can be free masks at homeless shelters and/or soup kitchens. However it is executed, it is the government's responsibility to protect it's citizens, and this program would be doing just that.
Updates
July 21, 2021
I have been reading your messages about the difficulty of finding affordable supplies and it is clear that many people are struggling far more than I realized. You have shown me that this issue is much deeper than I first thought and I am truly humbled by the way you are all looking out for one another.
11 Comments
WAY TO EXPENSIVE. I see people struggling to get by everyday and this is just another cost they dont need. fix it now.
masks should be free for everyone anyway. this is basic stuff. hope the gov actually listens for once
This is so true. Everyone deserves to stay safe even if they dont have much money. Glad someone is speaking up about this.
good job. keep going!! :)
It's never too late to do better! We agree that a program like this should already have been created, and with the growing crisis in NSW, this is only becoming more relevant. Unfortunately, it has not been created, so we are taking the initiative to create it ourselves. Thanks for your comment.
I'm just here to say 'add more paragraphs or break up the big one, because man, it looks like an essay and not many people would wanna spend time reading it. Just add a few more spaces and boom.' :))
Towards a safer Australia equitable and caring
Great petition. Hope this helps the cause.
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WAY TO EXPENSIVE. I see people struggling to get by everyday and this is just another cost they dont need. fix it now.