News Lessons from lockdown = Time for change

The evacuation during ChangeFest 19 due to hazardous smoke was at the start of the devastating summer of bush fires. There was a moment at the end of the summer when many people were calling for change including the need to empower Indigenous people to lead land management.

Then Covid-19 drove the country into lock down with work places closed and many Australians experiencing financial hardship.

These crises have highlighted growing disadvantage in our communities, increased incidence of domestic violence and need for food banks, shelter for people without homes and strong health care for all. This has amplified a desperate need for systems change in Australia.

Huge support for Indigenous communities was demonstrated by mass gatherings with renewed focus on deaths in custody following global #BlackLivesMatter protests and the tragic death of George Floyd in America. There is so much that needs to change. While it is hard to hold all of these complex issues in our hearts together, the relationship between them points to the urgent need for change and to stay on the long strategic road. Now. The ChangeFest team are exploring more ambitious action to accelerate our mission.