COVID-19 and how to flatten the curve

On this episode, we discuss policy responses to the coronavirus, both in Australia and across the globe.

As COVID-19 infection rates accelerate in Australia, state and federal governments have been called into action to reduce the damage. But has the response so far been adequate to ‘flatten the curve’? What can Australia learn from policy responses abroad? What is 'herd immunity'? And will Australia’s political leaders and policymakers be able to adapt and act quickly at this critical juncture in the COVID-19 crisis? Our panel - Professor Mark Kenny, Dr Marija Taflaga, Professor Quentin Grafton, and Dr David Caldicott - discuss the rapidly evolving coronavirus crisis.

Professor Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow 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.

Dr David Caldicott is an emergency consultant at the emergency department of the Calvary Hospital in Canberra and a Senior Lecturer in the College of Health and Medicine at ANU.

Professor Quentin Grafton is Professor of Economics at Crawford School, an ANU Public Policy Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Policy Forum.

Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

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