Governments around the globe are promising record amounts of spending to tackle the crisis. And those commitments will get bigger before this is over.
read more COVID-19: Australia’s fiscal response is now among the biggest in the world
Australia should join New Zealand and shoot for eliminating coronavirus
A growing body of evidence shows that if we can hold the course for a little while longer, Australia could beat coronavirus.
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COVID-19: Yes, we have turned a corner, but…
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.
read more Consumer confidence is at its lowest level on record
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.
read more COVID-19: Giving people early access to their super is the right move
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?