V is for Victoria - and it can still be for Victory Melbourne remains among the top 10 most liveable cities, with one of the strongest healthcare systems, in the world. While this is a saddening statistic, it does show that more people are able to access the services they need.Īccess to excellent healthcare services is a necessary and defining feature for a just and liveable city.Ī 2016 study found that more than 75 per cent of Melbourne residents have high or very high access to the health infrastructure.
Lifeline, a national charity that provides 24-hour crisis support, recorded its busiest day ever servicing 3,345 calls on 3 August 2021 alone, beating a previous record set on Good Friday in 2020 – 3197 calls in one day. Increased demand for mental health services over the course of this pandemic has seen the Victorian Government invest a record $A3.8 billion funding for mental health and wellbeing in the 2021-2022 State Budget. Excellent access to healthcare is a defining feature of a just and liveable city.
While seemingly small, these connections can make a difference for those struggling with feelings of loneliness and isolation. It’s well known that access to green spaces can enable greater social cohesion and human-nature connections. With work from home orders and strict travel restrictions, people are turning to local parks and street walking as a way to unwind. We are seeing a resurgence of hyper-localism as residents spend more time shopping in and around their neighbourhoods. The lockdowns have unavoidably changed the way we live. This means that most people in our city have access to a park, regardless of which neighbourhood they live in.Įxperiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have made many of us realise how important public green spaces are for our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Some four out of five Melburnians live within 400 metres of a green space, and while this number is low compared to some of Australia’s other capital cities, Melbourne also has the most equitable distribution of green space. Melbourne has a diverse range of green public open spaces, and it’s a fair bet that if you hadn’t been to your local park before lockdown, you have now. Straightforward answers to your COVID-19 vaccine questions
While a difference of just nine days won’t seem much, the experiences of people in Buenos Aires and other locked down cities around the world, should remind us that contrary to how we might be feeling, we have been lucky.ĭespite all the hardship, Melburnians have benefited from going through lockdown in one of the world’s most liveable cities. Spare a thought for the residents of Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires, who have lived through “home isolation” restrictions for 243 days – from 19 March 2020 – 8 November 2020 and then again from 21 –. While this must feel like it will be some kind of world record, a quick internet search reveals that it will be close, but not quite. Pictures: Getty Imagesīy then Melbourne will have racked up a total of 234 days of lockdown.
Melbourne has an equable spread of green spaces around the city. The city is now well past a combined 200 days of life with stay-at-home orders since the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year.įingers crossed Melburnians will experience some easing of restrictions come 23 September when initial vaccination targets are due to be met. The end of lockdown conditions in most of regional Victoria is bitter sweet news for Melburnians still enduring their sixth lockdown.
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