Media Coverage
Third Sector; April 30, 2026
When a flood recedes or a bushfire is contained, public attention moves on. Emergency response teams pack up, media coverage fades and the immediate crisis is declared over. But for the families left behind, the hard work of rebuilding has barely begun, and for many, the essential support they need never arrives.
New research from national charity Good360 Australia puts hard numbers to what frontline workers have long known: the period long after a disaster is when recovery stalls, and it is where the system most consistently fails.
The demand gap is widening
A survey of nearly 300 charities across Australia found that 80 per cent say demand for non-food aid has never been higher. The same proportion report that more people are doing it tough and in need of support. Almost two-thirds say they are seeing more people reaching out for help for the first time.
Critically, the supply of donated goods is not keeping pace. Nearly four in five charities say they do not have enough brand-new donated goods to meet community demand, up significantly from previous years.
Alison Covington AM, Founder and Managing Director of Good360 Australia, describes what is happening as both an immediate and a prolonged crisis. “Long after a crisis or disaster hits, the majority of recovering families are still in need of essential items and household goods. The items that make a house a home — the fridge, washing machine, cookware, bedding, education items — are all too often forgotten about.”
Read the full article over at Third Sector.
