Strong response to COVID-19 Recovery Survey
Published on 17 November 2020
Mental health, concerns about access to services, and feelings of loneliness are among a broad range of issues residents have identified based on over 620 responses to Mildura Rural City Council's COVID-19 Recovery Survey.
The survey opened at the start of November, allowing the community to let us know how they’re being impacted by the pandemic and actions they believe are needed locally to work towards recovery.
This valuable information will be used for two purposes.
Firstly it will ensure we can continue to be responsive to our region's longer term needs in the face of the pandemic.
It will also provide clear and important evidence demonstrating our community’s specific needs, which will be critical to attract future government funding for our region where it’s needed most.
Council Chief Executive Officer Sarah Philpott encouraged residents to continue taking the survey, which is open until Sunday 22 November.
"Firstly, thank-you to everyone who has taken part in the survey so far," Ms Philpott said.
"We know it's sometimes difficult to share our personal concerns or how we're feeling, but this information is critical to ensuring we can help as many people in our community as possible with our recovery plans.
"The more information we have, the more we're able to continue adapting and focusing our recovery efforts on where support is needed most."
Council is hoping as many residents as possible, from varied backgrounds, take the survey to provide an accurate snapshot of the issues our community is facing. This includes youth, children, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disabilities and residents in more remote areas of the municipality.
Residents can take the survey in several ways:
Online
Visit www.mildura.vic.gov.au/HaveYourSay
By phone
Call (03) 5018 8254
Hard copy
Hard copies of the survey can either be mailed out on request by calling (03) 5018 8254 or obtained from the Mildura Visitor Information and Booking Centre in Deakin Avenue.
Council respects that some details residents wish to share may be sensitive, which is why the survey is anonymous, including the online survey, which will not allow people to be identified within the data.
The COVID-19 Community Relief and Recovery Plan was endorsed earlier this year and is already being implemented. This month's survey is aimed at ensuring the plan continues to meet the community's needs as they change.
Other support measures introduced this year include a Community Relief Service very early in the pandemic, which continues to provide vital support to local residents, including connection to social and community support groups, access to food parcels and referral to key support agencies.
Additional relief has been provided through waiving rates for numerous community groups, clubs and organisations, waiving a broad range of fees and charges for businesses and deferring interest on overdue rates for eligible residential properties.
For more information contact Community Development Officer Renee Ficarra on (03) 5018 8100.
ENDS