COVID-19 and the pathologies of Australia's regulatory state
Journal of Contemporary Asia
; 53(1):28-52, 2023.
Article
in English
| GIM | ID: covidwho-2239789
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has elicited a wide range of national responses with an even wider range of outcomes in terms of infections and mortalities. Australia is a rare success story, keeping deaths comparatively low, and infections too, until the Omicron wave. What explains Australia's success? Typical explanations emphasise leaders' choices. We agree, but argue that leaders' choices, and whether these are implemented effectively, is shaped by the legacy of state transformation. Decades of neo-liberal reforms have hollowed out state capacity and confused lines of control and accountability, leaving Australia unprepared for the pandemic. Leaders thus abandoned plans and turned to ad hoc, simple to implement emergency measures - border closures and lockdowns. These averted large-scale outbreaks and deaths, but with diminishing returns as the Delta variant took hold. Conversely, Australia's regulatory state has struggled to deliver more sophisticated policy responses, even when leaders were apparently committed, including an effective quarantine system, crucial for border controls, and vaccination programme, essential for exiting the quagmire of lockdowns and closed borders, leading to a partial return to top-down governing. The Australian experience shows that to avoid a public health catastrophe or more damaging lockdowns in the next pandemic, states must re-learn to govern.
genetic variability; genotypic variability; genotypic variation; immunization programs; death rate; rules; SARS-CoV-2; viral infections; man; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; APEC countries; Australasia; Oceania; Commonwealth of Nations; high income countries; OECD Countries; very high Human Development Index countries; Homo; Hominidae; primates; mammals; vertebrates; Chordata; animals; eukaryotes; Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirinae; Coronaviridae; Nidovirales; positive-sense ssRNA Viruses; ssRNA Viruses; RNA Viruses; viruses; Agencies and Organizations; DD100; Policy and Planning; EE120; Host Resistance and Immunity; HH600; Health Services; UU350; Prion, Viral, Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens of Humans; VV210
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
GIM
Language:
English
Journal:
Journal of Contemporary Asia
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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