Australia has turned a corner, but we must be careful about when we lift restrictions, what restrictions we lift, and in what order.
COVID-19: Where the Federal Government’s $194 billion is going
The Government has announced almost $200 billion of spending in less than a month. If you are having trouble keeping up – here is a short summary.
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Is the COVID-19 glass half full or half empty?
Driven by tighter restrictions at the border, new cases of COVID-19 have fallen rapidly in Australia. But local transmission has not shared the same fate, with the rate of new cases remaining relatively flat over the past week or so.
Consumer confidence is at its lowest level on record
Consumer confidence is a timely measure of what Australian households think about their own finances and the state of the economy overall. In the week ending 29 March, the ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence index plunged to the lowest level in the nearly-50-year history of that series.
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COVID-19: What the states and territories are spending
Every state and territory government in Australia has announced a spending response to the COVID-19 crisis. The measures, including loans, tax deferrals, and health spending, so far total almost $15 billion. This compliments the almost $194 billion in direct economic measures already announced by the Federal Government.
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Australia’s COVID-19 cases are still growing rapidly. Our hospitals may soon hit capacity.
The lessons from overseas are clear: unless Australians comprehensively comply with spatial distancing, those measures won’t work and our hospitals will be over-run.
read more Australia’s COVID-19 cases are still growing rapidly. Our hospitals may soon hit capacity.
COVID-19: Giving people early access to their super is the right move
Workers affected by the COVID-19 economic crisis can now access up to $20,000 of their super to help see them through. It’s a good move.
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As more Australians get COVID-19, will we have enough hospital beds?
We should be clear: a shutdown of anything that isn’t truly essential will be needed to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system.
read more As more Australians get COVID-19, will we have enough hospital beds?
As the COVID-19 crisis deepens, few Australians have much cash in the bank
It’s clear than many Australian households will need help if they loose their livelihoods through the COVID-19 crisis. They should be a high priority for the Morrison Government as it puts together its second economic support package.
read more As the COVID-19 crisis deepens, few Australians have much cash in the bank
Grattan Institute is sending its staff home. Here’s why other employers should urgently consider doing the same
The less people are physically near each other, the lower the rate of transmission of coronavirus. That’s why ‘social distancing’ – or more accurately, spatial distancing – is a key strategy to slow the spread of the virus.