Report by Wonsun Shin and Jay Song. Melbourne Asia Review.
January 12, 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed some of the weakest links in Australian society in relation to race relations and communications.
Culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people with recent immigrant backgrounds in Australia had particular challenges gaining relevant information about COVID-19 and communicating with government authorities in the time of a global health crisis. People perceived to be ‘Asian’, especially those wearing face masks, were suspected of being carriers of the virus and verbally and physically abused in public spaces. In April 2020, the Prime Minister Scott Morrison told temporary migrants and international students to go home.
Through a national survey conducted in October 2020, we explore the sources that Asian Australian communities used to access information about COVID-19 in Australia, the extent to which they trust those information sources, and potential factors explaining the results.
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