Australian Human Rights Commission
Annual Report November 2022
broader impacts of the pandemic on their families – fear of either themselves or
relatives getting ill, periods of isolation, lack of information and misinformation,
as well as economic impacts such as loss of employment of family members. This
project explores how these factors and others have affected their mental health
and wellbeing based on their self-reported experiences, and those of their
caregivers.
Children, and parents/guardians and grandparents across Australia were invited
by the National Children’s Commissioner to respond to an online survey. 4,559
children aged 9–17 years, and 2,796 parents/guardians and grandparents
provided survey responses. Two roundtables were held with key mental health
stakeholders.
The report, including a child-friendly version, was launched on 25 September
2022, after the reporting period.
Of the 4,559 children who participated in the survey, 41% reported that the
pandemic had a negative impact on their wellbeing, and at the time of the survey
in early 2022, around one in five children reported that they were feeling more
down, scared or worried than they used to.
The COVID-19 and kids wellbeing surveys highlighted the importance of listening
to children and ensuring their wellbeing is a priority for policy making. The
pandemic, and the response to the pandemic, had significant impacts on the lives
of children. Yet children and their families were not involved in guiding or giving
real-time feedback on government responses.
The survey findings also demonstrate that systems reform at a national level is
needed to effectively support the mental health and wellbeing of children. An
important starting point for this is the resourcing and implementation of the
inter-governmental National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
Spectator Racism in Sport Guidelines
The Spectator Racism Project began in response to incidents of spectator racism
at Australian professional sporting matches. In April 2021, the Race
Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan convened a roundtable of Australian
professional sporting bodies and anti-racism organisations to discuss the
ongoing issue of spectator racism in sports. This led to the development of a set
of guidelines intended to provide practical guidance for sporting organisations on
how to prepare for and respond to incidents of racism when they occur. Three
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