Western Australia’s State of Emergency and the Public Health State of Emergency ended on Friday, 4 November 2022. Visit the WA Government’s COVID-19: Latest updates for more information.
The content on this web page is now being reviewed with a view to consolidating and archiving information.
Under the State Emergency Welfare Plan, which was activated on 5 April 2020, the Department of Communities takes primary responsibility for coordinating the provision of emergency welfare services across Western Australia.
These welfare services include emergency accommodation, food and provisions, emergency clothing and personal requisites, personal support services, registration and reunification and financial assistance.
In accordance with the activation of the plan, the Director General of the Department of Communities is the State Welfare Coordinator.
State Welfare Emergency Committee
A State Welfare Emergency Committee (SWEC) has been established to provide advice to the State Welfare Coordinator.
The SWEC is an advisory group of organisations from all levels of government, the community sector and the private sector who are working together to meet the emerging emergency welfare needs from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The SWEC is chaired by the Director General of the Department of Communities and co-chaired by a nominated member of Communities’ Aboriginal Cultural Council to ensure emergency welfare responses are culturally appropriate and meets the needs of Aboriginal communities.
To contact the SWEC please email incidentcontroller@communities.wa.gov.au.
State Welfare Incident Coordination Centre
Through the activation of the State Emergency Welfare Plan, a State Welfare Incident Coordination Centre (SWICC) has been established to sit alongside the State Health Incident Coordination Centre (SHICC).
The purpose of the SWICC is to identify, respond and coordinate the provision of welfare services across the community, including those in self-isolation or quarantine.
The SWICC will partner with each SWEC member organisation, leveraging their resources and their networks to deliver emergency welfare services, and provide planning, intelligence, operations and logistics expertise.
