Aboriginal people in a northern NSW town that saw a significant surge in COVID-19 infections were treated with "contempt" after the outbreak was blamed on a funeral, an inquiry has heard.
More than 50 people caught the virus in Moree last month, most of whom were Aboriginal.
"Some people in town were making discriminatory assumptions (that) anyone who was Aboriginal was at the funeral and they were banned from entering shops," Just Reinvest manager Jenny Lovric told a NSW parliamentary probe into regional and rural health on Friday.
The spread of the virus was blamed on a large public funeral that moved through Moree's main street.
But Ms Lovric said traces of the virus had already been identified in Moree's sewage system.
The COVID-19 outbreak meant other health services like dentists and ear, nose and throat specialists cancelled appointments.
It took "many, many days" to get COVID-19 test results, while Sydneysiders could find out whether or not they had the virus within hours, she said.
Racism and discrimination contribute to poor health outcomes at other times as well, Ms Lovric told the committee.
Aboriginal people have reported feeling uncomfortable, judged and discriminated against by local health services, with a perception that their medical problems are self-inflicted because of addiction or similar issues.
Ms Lovric said staff at Moree's hospital can be dismissive, sending people home instead of treating them.
"There are too many stories of people being sent home with very serious conditions ... Some people in fact have died and nothing seemed to have been done about this," she said.
There is no detox service available in Moree, and mental health issues are not addressed in a substantive way, she said.
The committee also heard from allied health professionals working regionally who said long wait times for speech pathology can mean children do not get the help they need in time.
"If we're not getting to kids before they're five years old, a lot of the issues are incredibly difficult to remediate," said Edward Johnson, President of Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health.
Many people who end up in the criminal justice system have speech and language disorders that could have been prevented, he said.
More than 700 people have made submissions to the inquiry into health outcomes and access to health services in rural, regional and remote NSW.
The inquiry has heard complaints of understaffing and a lack of vital health services throughout the state.
The inquiry continues.
