'THEY ARE BEING TREATED LIKE LEPERS': NSW COMMUNITY SUFFERS FROM PANDEMIC

As New South Wales continues to grapple with the COVID19 Pandemic, a number of remote and regional towns with significant Aboriginal populations are continuing to struggle with getting basic supplies and crucial medicine.

Bourke local, Bruce Shillingworth made an urgent plea for the small town of Enngonia, 90 kilometres north of Bourke near the Queensland border.

“So what's happening now is the lack of Service delivery, it’s a small community of about a hundred people. They've got 25 covid cases there at the moment and what we're seeing from here is basically nobody wants to service the community.

They're treating the community like lepers . Police have gone in with the hardline approach. No one allowed to go in and no one allowed to go out. And for some reason that the services ain't given them food and essential within the community.”

44% of Enngonia’s population identify as Aboriginal.

Meanwhile the Director of Maranguka Backbone Organisation says they have been assisting in the best way they can. by sending supplies to Enngonia.

“I guess there's a there's a range of issues already in place in terms of click and collect people, you know, they can go online and I guess you know shop from our local supermarkets in terms of idea and and Spa (supermarket)…… So, you know, there's a range of issues to to Really minimize, you know contact with through contactless services and in a range of other initiatives that you know that we're currently working with as well to ensure that you know, people do have access to essential items. “

Bruce Shillington claims Enngonia is being neglected by authorities.