Opinion: This virus could change the way we live for years, not months | CroweDM
Australia now has the foundations to withstand a long shock to its health and economy, but the road out of the crisis is easier to describe than navigate. Parliament has set a legislated deadline in the fight against the coronavirus by approving a six-month sunset clause for the new $130 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy.The boost to confidence is significant when the economic support is combined with the sharp fall in new infections. But this virus sets its own timetable.
The public modelling was underwhelming because it was based on overseas data from weeks ago, but this highlights the way huge decisions had to be made in rapid succession with limited data in recent weeks. So the way out is yet to be found. Morrison rejects the strategy of herd immunity – the idea the country could be resistant after the infection reached perhaps 60 per cent of the population – and Health Minister Greg Hunt aims to keep infections well below 2.9 million people .
This will be the next phase in the debate. With more modelling about the shutdowns, rather than the virus alone, the argument will shift towards easing the constraints. Inside the Morrison government, one of the worries is that the economic damage could kill more people than the virus.The solution is to relax the restrictions in stages and in different locations. Morrison may want this but cannot dictate the terms.
If the scientists are right, the recovery will not run as the politicians wish. While the Parliament’s new law stops the wage subsidies on the last Sunday in September, the virus is a law unto itself.
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