Climate, the coronavirus, and the costs of uncertainty

Australian policymakers may have dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic effectively so far, but can they heed the lessons of this crisis in order to be ready for those still to come? Joining Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage to discuss public policy in the wake of the pandemic are Helen Sullivan and Warwick McKibbin.

Australia has managed the joint health and economic crises brought on by COVID-19 better than most countries. But with the pandemic far from over and the damages of climate change becoming increasingly obvious, can Australian policymakers translate this short-term success across to the long-term challenges they have thus far failed to address? What price are the Australian people paying for policy uncertainty, particularly in regards to climate and energy policy? And does the country need a new macroeconomic framework if it hopes to be properly prepared for a post-pandemic world? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, ANU Crawford School of Public Policy’s Professor Helen Sullivan and Professor Warwick McKibbin AO join Professor Mark Kenny to discuss public policy-making in the ‘new normal’.

Helen Sullivan is Director of Crawford School of Public Policy. She has published widely on public policy, public governance and public service reform, and in 2013 established the Melbourne School of Government.

Warwick McKibbin AO is the Director of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis in the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

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