Australia should spearhead a “Pacific jobkeeper” program to assist households across a region where, in some countries, three-quarters of families are struggling to buy food, a parliamentary inquiry has heard. Save the Children surveyed 25,000 parents and children across 37 countries on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on their health, education, security and financial situation. In the Melanesian nations of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, 77% of families reported recently having trouble paying for food, while 40% had lost income due to Covid-19. Save the Children’s Australian deputy chief executive, Mat Tinkler, said the closure of tourism and key export industries, the interruption of remittances, and low commodity prices had wreaked havoc on Pacific economies. “Early estimates indicate the number of people living in extreme poverty in the four poorest Pacific countries will increase to 30% in Papua New Guinea, 30% in Timor-Leste, 27% in the Solomon Islands and 17% in Vanuatu,” he said. “We hold grave fears for the impact of poverty on this scale, especially in relation to stunting as families cut back on nutritious food, already a significant problem in the Pacific.” Save the Children’s submission to parliament’s joint standing committee on defence, foreign affairs… Read full this story
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