Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Oct 31, 2024 3:42:55 GMT
The Politics of 'Letting it Rip': Why Australia went from zero-COVID to COVID-Central
Introduction
In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia was the envy of the world. While other countries were overwhelmed by widespread transmission, staggering mortality rates and overrun health systems, Australia remained largely COVID-free. Dubbed the “hermit kingdom”, Australia quickly closed international borders in March 2020 and implemented a nationwide “shutdown” – the first of multiple lockdowns – to flatten the curve of transmission. Though initially slow to act, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison begrudgingly abandoned his neoliberal commitment to balancing budgets and small government for a Keynesian approach to ensure Australians could weather the storm. Public health measures started to ease in April as case numbers drastically decreased and Australia was globally hailed a COVID success. Australians emerged from 2020 with a newfound sense of camaraderie and hope for positive change after such a circuit-breaking catastrophe. Two years later, however, Australia faced widespread infection, mass disability and a 13 percent excess mortality rate for the first eight months of 2022. How did Australia transition so suddenly from zero-COVID to COVID-central?
This chapter will explore the ideology underpinning the federal government’s decision to “let rip”. I will begin my analysis by tracing the different approaches undertaken by the Morrison government, from the beginning of the pandemic to the Omicron wave. I will then identify three pillars of thought underpinning his “let it rip” policy – neoliberalism, prosperity gospel and social Darwinism – that I argue are one and the same. Lastly, I will examine the Albanese government’s response to COVID and the apparent acceptance of “living with COVID” by the Australian people, using a Gramscian analysis to explain this attitudinal shift
Introduction
In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia was the envy of the world. While other countries were overwhelmed by widespread transmission, staggering mortality rates and overrun health systems, Australia remained largely COVID-free. Dubbed the “hermit kingdom”, Australia quickly closed international borders in March 2020 and implemented a nationwide “shutdown” – the first of multiple lockdowns – to flatten the curve of transmission. Though initially slow to act, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison begrudgingly abandoned his neoliberal commitment to balancing budgets and small government for a Keynesian approach to ensure Australians could weather the storm. Public health measures started to ease in April as case numbers drastically decreased and Australia was globally hailed a COVID success. Australians emerged from 2020 with a newfound sense of camaraderie and hope for positive change after such a circuit-breaking catastrophe. Two years later, however, Australia faced widespread infection, mass disability and a 13 percent excess mortality rate for the first eight months of 2022. How did Australia transition so suddenly from zero-COVID to COVID-central?
This chapter will explore the ideology underpinning the federal government’s decision to “let rip”. I will begin my analysis by tracing the different approaches undertaken by the Morrison government, from the beginning of the pandemic to the Omicron wave. I will then identify three pillars of thought underpinning his “let it rip” policy – neoliberalism, prosperity gospel and social Darwinism – that I argue are one and the same. Lastly, I will examine the Albanese government’s response to COVID and the apparent acceptance of “living with COVID” by the Australian people, using a Gramscian analysis to explain this attitudinal shift