Dear Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard,

We're now nearly a month into lockdown, with no end in sight. 

Since the beginning of lockdown, you've allowed people who live alone to have their intimate partner visit them. 

We'd like you to expand these rights for people who live alone, so that they might form a 'single social bubble' as has been evidenced to work well in the UK, SA and Victoria - where a single person can nominate another person (a friend, a relative, a colleague - someone who isn't necessarily a sexual partner) they'd like to form a social bubble with. 

If intimate partners who don't live together are able to socialise in each other's homes, it makes no sense why those with relationships not classed as intimate can't form a bubble with another person. 

Relationships and friendships take many different forms and single people who live alone shouldn't be penalised for not having a traditional sexual relationship in their lives. 

The mental health of people who live alone is in your hands - completely isolation can lead to devastating outcomes including depression, anxiety and self harm. 

Personally, I'm someone who's lived with depression and I know how fragile our mental health is, particularly when we're isolated. This is such a quick-solve to help people get through this time. 

Please fix this soon. 

Melanie Tait 


Lifeline 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636