The Australian Human Rights Commission is examining the human rights impacts of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a chance for you to tell your story about what happened to you.
Overview
The project seeks to understand how people were personally impacted by COVID-19 response measures and what gaps existed in the country’s pandemic response.
This will support the development of a human rights emergency and disaster framework to improve responses to future emergencies and disasters in Australia.
To inform this project, the Commission is seeking input from individuals through written story submissions.
The project’s findings will be presented in an interim report that will be published on the Australian Human Rights Commission website.
Your Stories
The Commission is calling for stories from people who were impacted by the national, state and community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This process is intended to capture varied perspectives from people across diverse Australian communities. The Commission seeks to understand the impacts of pandemic responses on aspects of daily life such as health, family and employment.
We ask that your story describes how you were personally impacted during the pandemic. Stories can relate to any aspect of the country’s COVID-19 pandemic response such as lock downs, border closures, quarantine requirements, social distancing or school closures.
Making a submission
Story submissions can be made at the bottom of this webpage and must be no longer than 1,000 words. No attachments can be accepted through the portal.
An accessible PDF version of the story submission template [PDF, 142 KB] can be downloaded and emailed to emergencyresponse@humanrights.gov.au once completed.
Story submissions are open to anyone 18 years old and above. The experiences of children will be captured through separate targeted consultation.
Story submissions are due by Sunday 30th June 2024.
Story submissions should avoid including any personal information of others such as other people’s names, names of workplaces or schools, or addresses.
We understand that this subject may bring up difficult or distressing issues. Please see resources at the bottom of this page for support.
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic was a profound event and affected people to different extents and in different ways. The impacts of the pandemic are still ongoing for many Australians.
While there have been a number of inquiries into different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic response, this is a chance for you to tell your story about what happened to you.
The project will use public story submissions, together with additional stakeholder and agency engagement, to embed human rights considerations into future pandemic response planning in Australia.
This project will inform the Commission’s advocacy for the human rights of all Australians to be considered in planning for future emergency and disaster responses.
Want to share your story?
To submit your story:
- Read the Privacy Collection Notice.
- Tell us your story through the Your Story Portal
Rights and Freedoms
