Page 8 - Luce 2020

P oint of View

COVID-19 brought

Australia’s states and experts

into their own

College Fellow Ms Michelle Grattan (1963) is
regarded as one of Australia’s pre-eminent social
and political commentators. Here she offers her
reflections on the impact of COVID-19 during the
first year of the pandemic.

The pandemic stretched us as individuals and as a
community to an extent not seen since the Second World
War.

The old were at risk; the young struggled with education;
many workers lost jobs; businesses suffered and, in some
cases, went under.

The nation’s health system, in good shape in many ways, amplify the prime ministerial megaphone. He created the
nevertheless had to quickly get up to speed, as ventilators ‘national cabinet’ of federal, state and territory leaders.
were sourced and extra beds made available in case the
worst came to the worst – which fortunately it didn’t. This met regularly (virtually), received briefings on the
health and economic aspects of the crisis, and came to
The aged care system didn’t fare as well. Its inadequacies collective decisions where it could. The structure brought
were known, and the pandemic sought them out like a as much consistency as possible across governments, but it
deadly missile. Those in aged care accounted for most of was also a mechanism for managing conflict to the extent
the lives lost. feasible.

Individuals and families endured restrictions on their Under this national umbrella, there was a lot of pushing
freedoms and their lives that would have seemed and shoving. In the early days Victoria and NSW forced
inconceivable before COVID-19 hit. Some people were Morrison to go further with restrictions than was his
stretched to the limits of endurance, especially in what personal inclination. Throughout 2020 he emphasised the
seemed Victoria’s endless lockdown. But mostly they duality of the health and economic aspects of the crisis,
coped. but he was particularly anxious that the economy be
sustained.
After years of decline, trust in institutions and leaders went
up. In a real crisis, the flimflam of politics as usual fell One way in which national cabinet dealt with fractures
away, leaving a core: crucial decision-making in times that was to avoid issues that would blow it up – notably the
were unprecedented in the modern era. question of borders.

I want to focus on two notable aspects of how the The expert health body advising national cabinet, the
pandemic was handled, and the changes it brought. One is Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, did not
the reinvigoration of the Australian federation – for better make recommendations on borders because it operated by
or worse. The other is how experts came into their own. consensus and there could be no agreement on that issue.

Scott Morrison learnt quite a few lessons from the The states had the power over their borders and they
bushfires of the 2019-20 summer, including that in times of jealously guarded it. Most took conservative positions, and
trouble the community wants its leaders to be both present the country fragmented into closed parts, to the anger of
and genuinely empathetic. He also learnt that in crises the federal government. The Labor states of Queensland,
much, if not most, power rests in the hands of the states. with an election in October 2020, and Western Australia,
with a March 2021 election (and past secessionist dreams),
When COVID-19 came, Morrison knew he would have adopted particularly hard lines, but so also did Tasmania
limited formal overall control. So he quickly moved to set and South Australia, both with Liberal governments.
up a structure that would maximise what power he had,
enable him to co-ordinate with other governments, and
continued on page 10

8 LUCE Number 19 2020