The Australian Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has excluded hundreds of thousands of temporary visa holders, including up to 100,000 people seeking asylum. We are particularly concerned for up to 16,000 children seeking asylum and their families who have not had access to financial support during this time. Without support, parents have been struggling to make ends meet, which means their children are also going hungry, wondering where they will be living in the next few weeks, and hoping they can still afford new shoes for school. 

Australia is a society that cares about the health and well being of our children, these children's needs cannot be met if their families do not have access to essential services and support. We need to make sure that all children in Australia are safe and supported as if they were our own. 

As Dorothy Hoddinott AO said, “We shouldn’t have children scared of starvation in Australia, we shouldn’t have children frightened to be homeless in Australia. Children are people we say we protect, but these children are essentially not protected.”

Share this petition with five friends to make sure no child is left behind during COVID-19.