Australia has done better than most countries in limiting the spread of COVID-19. The health crisis is not over, but attention is now turning to the ‘road out’ of the economic shutdown.
There are lots of uncertainties. What are the costs of relaxing too late – or too early? Should schools be reopened, and under what conditions? What parts of the economy should be taken out of lockdown, in what order, and with what changes? How much should we prioritise restoring social activities?
Well before governments imposed restrictions, many people started spatial distancing. Irrespective of what governments permit, recovery depends on whether individuals choose to go back to work and to resume social activities. As with the COVIDsafe app, much depends on whether governments can win back public trust.
In this free Grattan Webinar, a panel of policy experts will provide perspective on these questions, and nominate Australia’s best strategy from here. And we want to hear your questions – now – so we can seek to give as many answers as possible. You can tell us what you want to know when you register for this special event.
Event details
Thursday 30 April, noon-1pm
Register here
Speakers
John Daley has been CEO of the Grattan Institute since it was founded 11 years ago. He has published extensively on economic reform priorities, budget policy, tax reform, housing affordability, and generational inequality. He has worked at the University of Oxford, the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, consulting firm McKinsey and Co, and ANZ Bank in fields including law, public policy, strategy, and finance.
Marion Terrill is Director of Grattan’s Transport & Cities Program. Previously, Marion authored parts of the 2010 Henry Tax Review, and lead the design and development of the MyGov account. She has provided expert analysis and advice on labour market policy for the Commonwealth Government, the Business Council of Australia, and at the ANU. At Grattan she has published on investment in transport infrastructure, cost overruns, value capture, congestion, and discount rates.
Stephen Duckett is Director of Grattan’s Health Program. He has held top operational and policy leadership positions in health care in Australia and Canada including as Secretary of what is now the Commonwealth Department of Health. He has a reputation for creativity, evidence-based innovation and reform in areas ranging from the introduction of activity-based funding for hospitals, to new systems of accountability for the safety of hospital care. An economist, he is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science.
Brendan Coates is Director of Grattan’s Household Finances Program. His research focuses on tax reform, economic and budget policy, retirement incomes and superannuation, housing, transport infrastructure, and cities. He previously worked as a macro-financial economist with the World Bank in Indonesia and Latin America, and in a number of roles with the Australian Treasury.
Host
Paul Austin is the Editor at Grattan Institute. Paul worked for many years as a journalist and editor at Fairfax and News Corporation. He reported from the Canberra and Spring Street press galleries, and was at various times Deputy Editor and Opinion Editor of both The Age and The Australian newspapers. He won a Quill Award for best deadline reporting and was highly commended in the Walkley Awards for best feature writing and the Quill Awards for best columnist.