The ABC’s Ian Verrender writes (9.3.20) about the looming economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, suggesting the federal government needs to plan a timely response – including targeted fiscal measures – to the growing health emergency.
‘If you believe the economics profession, human beings are rational creatures.
‘According to the theory, we always act in our own best interests, dedicating our lives to maximising utility, which is a fancy way of saying our own personal satisfaction.
‘That healthy competition between individuals drives behaviour which ultimately leads to the efficient allocation of resources and supply meeting demand, thereby benefiting us all.
‘It all sounds so civilised, so perfectly reasonable.
‘Except, looked at another way, you could argue the theory really means we’re all a bunch of greedy, conniving hedonists, scrambling to get one up on the bloke next door or the woman across the road, just to prove we’re better than them.
‘And occasionally, we’ll do almost anything to achieve it, rational or otherwise.’
- Coronavirus is a health crisis spilling over into an economic meltdown – and it needs a smart response »
- Australian government stimulus package to protect economy from coronavirus impact expected within days »
- One minute we’re Back in Black, next there’s loose talk of recession »
- Coronavirus is not the villain: Australia’s economy was already on a precipice »
- Coronavirus could hit housing hard as Australia teeters on edge of recession »
- Australia’s economy was not in perfect health before the bushfires and coronavirus »
- Stimulus politics »
- The coronavirus stimulus program is Labor’s in disguise, as it should be »
- No recession is inevitable but things can turn bad fast. Here’s how to tell if stimulus is working »
- Billions of dollars pumped into coronavirus-hit economy in bid to stave off recession, Scott Morrison announces »
- Morrison’s coronavirus package is a good start, but he’ll probably have to spend more »
- Coronavirus is first a health problem, second an economic one »
- Scott Morrison considering further economic measures as coronavirus fears mount for aged care residents »
- Reserve Bank and government prepare fresh emergency measures as markets tumble »
- View from The Hill: Government forced to ‘scale up’ fiscal response to deal with impact of ‘scaled up’ health response »
- Australia’s economic victims of coronavirus, just like the health victims, need help now »
- We’re more concerned about economy than health in coronavirus pandemic »
- How Australia can avoid economic collapse in the wake of Covid-19 »
- Coronavirus has delivered a hammer blow to Australia’s economy. What happens next? »
- View from The Hill: MPs aim for lightning sitting on stimulus, as third parliamentarian contracts virus »
- Government’s new $66 billion package will take coronavirus economic life support to $189 billion »
- Scalable without limit: how the government plans to get coronavirus support into our hands quickly »
- To get out of this well we are going to have to think like central planners »
- Government considering radical measures to put economy into hibernation to survive coronavirus »
- Think when coronavirus is over Australia’s economy will snap back into place? Good luck with that »
- Modelling suggests going early and going hard will save lives and help the economy »
- Coronanomics: Eight things we’ve learnt about how coronavirus will change the economy »
- Despite huge coronavirus stimulus package, the government might still need to pay more »
- A quick return to normal in Australia – with no Covid-19 vaccine – would risk lives and the economy »
- Restrictions costing the country $4 billion a week: Frydenberg »
- Coronavirus fallout: one quarter of Australians fear they will yet lose their job »
- 4 ways Australia’s coronavirus response was a triumph, and 4 ways it fell short »
- Eradication, elimination, suppression: let’s understand what they mean before debating Australia’s course »
- No, Australia should not follow Sweden’s approach to coronavirus »
- Yes, lockdowns are costly. But the alternatives are worse »
- Go hard, go home: Study finds lockdowns save money in the long run »
- Why most economists continue to back lockdowns »
Coronavirus could spark a revolution in working from home. Are we ready?
Libby Sander writes in The Conversation (11.3.20) that the coronavirus outbreak could prove to be the tipping point for remote work arrangements to become the norm in Australia and elsewhere, further raising concerns over job security and working conditions.
‘Imagine your employer asking you to work from home until further notice.
‘As COVID-19 continues to spread, this seems an increasingly likely scenario. “Everyone who can work from home should work from home,” said Harvard epidemiologist William Hanage this week.
‘In China and neighbouring countries, millions are doing so for the first time.
‘In the United States, companies readying staff to work remotely include Twitter, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and JP Morgan.
‘… In Australia, Clayton Utz, Cisco and Vodafone temporarily closed offices last week as a precautionary measure.
‘The likelihood of extended workplace shutdowns seems increasingly likely. So what do we know about the pros and cons of working from home?’
- Coronavirus could spark a revolution in working from home. Are we ready? »
- When it comes to sick leave, we’re not much better prepared for coronavirus than the US »
- Coronavirus looms as a catastrophe for casual workers as Government calls for ‘co-operative’ workplace »
- ‘Fever clinics’ are opening in Australia for people who think they’re infected with the coronavirus. Why? »
- Scott Morrison must avoid a coronavirus-caused recession. Keeping jobs will be the measure of his success »
- ‘The doctor will Skype you now’: telehealth may limit coronavirus spread, but there’s more we can do to protect health workers »
- Working at home to avoid coronavirus? This tech lets you (almost) replicate the office »
- Casual workers may face wait up to 13 weeks for coronavirus payment »
- This coronavirus share market crash is unlike those that have gone before it »
- Coronavirus: unions attack ‘paltry’ sick pay for self-isolating couriers »
- Even inside Queensland’s ‘war room’, people are now keeping their distance »
- ‘Cabin fever’: Australia must prepare for the social and psychological impacts of a coronavirus lockdown »
- How changes brought on by coronavirus could help tackle climate change »
- Explainer: what are the laws mandating self-isolation and how will they be enforced? »
- COVID-19: what closing schools and childcare centres would mean for parents and casual staff »
- Coronavirus puts casual workers at risk of homelessness unless they get more support »
- Social distancing may be worth it, but we need to talk about economic costs »
- ‘I feel expendable’: Australian teachers sound alarm about schools and coronavirus »
- Morrison government urged to help temporary visa holders ‘trapped’ in Australia »
- Coronavirus infecting Australian jobs: vacancy rates down since early February »
- Which jobs are most at risk from the coronavirus shutdown? »
- Key union pushes for universal income of $740 a week, guaranteed jobs »
- Give people and businesses money now they can pay back later (if and when they can) »
- Delivery workers are now essential. They deserve the rights of other employees »
- The key to the success of the $130 billion wage subsidy is retrospective paid work »
- The charts that show coronavirus pushing up to a quarter of the workforce out of work »
- Working from home: what are your employer’s responsibilities, and what are yours? »
- Shutdown: estimating the COVID-19 employment shock »
- Safety measures may put gig economy contractor status at risk »
- Coronavirus is giving us a glimpse of the future of work – and it’s a nightmare »
- Working from home remains a select privilege: it’s time to fix our national employment standards »
- Free childcare ends July 12, with sector losing JobKeeper but receiving temporary payment »
- Workplace insecurity pervades the whole economy, just when every job is under threat »
- Mapping COVID-19 spread in Melbourne shows link to job types and ability to stay home »
- Vital Signs: Shorter meetings but longer days – how COVID-19 has changed the way we work »
- More urban sprawl while jobs cluster: working from home will reshape the nation »
- Pandemic has changed the way two out of three Queenslanders work »
- Out of the office »
- Working from home is proving to be a revolution in our way of life »
- The future of work: CEOs see staff reductions, fast-tracked technology »
- The good, the bad and the lonely: how coronavirus changed Australian family life »
- Why eliminating start and finish times is the next workplace revolution »
- Dressed for success – as workers return to the office, men might finally shed their suits and ties »
- COVID is keeping us in our homes, but what makes working there a success or failure? »
- The nature of work is changing and it could transform Queensland »
- Work-from-home staff will be ‘first out of a job’ warns Queensland property boss »
- As boundaries between work and home vanish, employees need a ‘right to disconnect’ »
- The problem isn’t remote working – it’s clinging to office-based practices »
- Things are not as they should be in Australia. But will ‘normal’ ever return after Covid? »
- Australians working 1.5 hours more unpaid overtime each week compared with pre-Covid »
- Australia COVID: Unions fight for work from home rights »
Morrison, compassion and coronavirus: when crisis refines leadership
Sen Sendjaya and colleagues write in The Conversation (16.3.20) that, having learned from his underwhelming performance in the bushfire crisis, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is now showing signs of becoming a “servant leader”.
‘News that the Morrison government paid A$190,000 last year for advice on how to empathise with the Australian people was met with ridicule. Yet it might be worth the money.
‘In late January, Morrison was continually criticised for appearing to lack compassion over the bushfires.
‘He himself said, “there are things I could have handed on the ground much better”.
‘There are signs he has taken that to heart during the coronavirus outbreak.’
- Morrison, compassion and coronavirus: when crisis refines leadership »
- Grattan on Friday: We are now a nation in self-isolation »
- Our politicians are not fit to oversee the coronavirus response. It’s time they got out of the way »
- Viral spiral: the federal government is playing a risky game with mixed messages on coronavirus »
- Morrison’s coronavirus stimulus package shows sober, expert advice can still prevail »
- Coronavirus: 5 ways to put evidence into action during outbreaks like COVID-19 »
- Grattan on Friday: Can Scott Morrison match Kevin Rudd in keeping Australia out of recession in a global crisis? »
- Morrison government pledges funds to help states with health burden of COVID-19 »
- In the wake of bushfires and coronavirus, it’s time we talked about human security »
- Scott Morrison announces mandatory self-isolation for all overseas arrivals and gives up shaking hands »
- The hits and misses of the Coalition’s stimulus package »
- The coronavirus pandemic is forcing us to ask some very hard questions. But are we ready for the answers? »
- Public messaging when it matters most »
- Morrison tells big business to show ‘patriotism’ as COVID-19 threatens to hit harder than GFC »
- This is more than a health crisis: here’s a 10-point plan for avoiding recession »
- Coronavirus: confirmed cases rise to 75 as health minister calls on Australians to be their ‘best selves’ »
- PM tells Australians to ‘stop hoarding’ as he announces sweeping measures to slow spread of coronavirus »
- We need a ‘red team’ for Covid-19 »
- Grattan on Friday: Which leaders and health experts will be on the right side of history on COVID-19 policy? »
- ‘Where no counsel is, the people fall’: why parliaments should keep functioning during the coronavirus crisis »
- Coronavirus shines a light on fractured global politics at a time when cohesion and leadership are vital »
- Explainer: what is the national cabinet and is it democratic? »
- It’s not too early to start thinking about Australia after the crisis »
- Thanks to coronavirus, Scott Morrison will become a significant prime minister »
- National and state leaders may not always agree, but this hasn’t hindered our coronavirus response »
- Has coronavirus killed ideology? No, it’s just cycled it around again »
- How the coronavirus pandemic is (finally) resulting in leadership for the greater good »
- Matching politics and economics »
- Jacinda Ardern to join national cabinet meeting as Australia, New Zealand share coronavirus strategy »
- Why good leaders need to hold the hose: how history might read Morrison’s coronavirus leadership »
- As former premiers, we have seen the benefits of states cooperating. Let’s extend national cabinet »
- Scott Morrison strengthens his policy power, enshrining national cabinet and giving it ‘laser-like’ focus on jobs »
- The government does not need to import divisive leadership strategies from overseas »
- Managing the Australian Federation beyond Covid-19 »
- Public perceptions of leadership for the greater good during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic »
- Who do you trust? »
- Give credit where it’s due but Morrison shouldn’t get off Scot-free »
- Australia’s politicians have learned that in the era of coronavirus, the future comes at you fast »
- Covid has exposed weaknesses in Australia’s political system but at a fundamental level it’s holding up »
- Blunders aside, most Australians believe state premiers have been effective leaders during pandemic »
- A lot of talk, so far very little action with a generous helping of ‘I told you so’ »
- ‘How good is Australia?’ Labor crunches the numbers to answer Morrison’s question »
- Decisive leadership, rapid action and trust: the differences between Australia and the UK’s Covid responses »
- Coronavirus Australia: Gladys Berejiklian, Daniel Andrews and Scott Morrison’s public confidence jumps »
- Trust in government soars in Australia and New Zealand during pandemic »
- How the pandemic has brought out the worst – and the best – in Australians and their governments »
- Grattan on Friday: The pandemic is now putting the ‘experts’ in their own world of pain »
- Premiers and a ‘shape-shifting’ PM take a beating in Coronavirus battle »
- Voter confidence in Scott Morrison’s ability to manage a crisis dives as three-quarters say he plays politics »
- Is the COVID vaccine rollout the greatest public policy failure in recent Australian history? »
- It has to be worth it »
- COVID exposed our fractured national identity, but state-based loyalties were rising long before »
- Australians are at risk as too many of our leaders abdicate responsibility for Covid to pander to their political base »
- To safely live with Covid, Australian leaders must actually work cooperatively »