Abstract
This essay analyses the official communications response to COVID-19 in Australia in relation to its effectiveness in engaging communities to encourage the behaviour changes required to address the outbreak. In particular, it outlines three key considerations regarding the way in which the use of community engagement in the humanitarian sector during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo can inform current and future information preparedness of Governments in Australia in response to health and social crises.
Highlights
There is no easy way to impart bad news
The threat posed to the regular way of life demanded community cooperation, participation and behaviour change, and the interconnected crises would result in a wrestle between communicating expectations and uncertainty and adjusting
This essay will draw upon lessons learned from the international humanitarian sector, which has established a significant track record in the implementation of effective community engagement in times of crisis, and will use the specific example of the response to the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to consider a series of specific steps that can be adapted to the Australian context in order to build communication preparedness for the continuing COVID-19 situation and future national health and socio-economic crises
Summary
There is no easy way to impart bad news. First, people do not want to hear it or believe it, and often the reaction to it can be adverse or combative, pushing back on the information or the messenger and refusing to trust either.
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