pandemic

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 61: Download Or Else
30 April 2020

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 61: Download Or Else

Over three million Australians have downloaded the COVIDSafe App but the Australian Government has a terrible record on digital security and privacy. Co-hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by IPA Adjunct Fellow Matthew Lesh – now Director of Research at the Adam Smith Institute in London – to discuss this plus the UK’s own experience of coronavirus as
Read
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 60: Restoring Dynamism After Deep Freeze
22 April 2020

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 60: Restoring Dynamism After Deep Freeze

Only if we’re free enough to adapt and allow entrepreneurs to create new businesses and institutions will the economy be dynamic enough for the high growth trajectory we need after the devastation of the lockdown. A very special episode of The Looking Forward Podcast as Professor Jason Potts from RMIT University  and host Dr Chris Berg join host Scott Hargreaves
Read
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 59: Only The First To Bail Out?
15 April 2020

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 59: Only The First To Bail Out?

Australia has been one of the most successful countries in reducing transmission of the coronavirus. Why are the Australian infection rates so low and what does this mean for policymakers and citizens? (2:44-22:37) Virgin Australia has asked the government for a bail out, what role should the government play in restoring the economy and how should this shape policy decisions?
Read
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 58: Government Models Can’t Guide Us Back
8 April 2020

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 58: Government Models Can’t Guide Us Back

 The government has revealed the very simple model driving their public policy response to COVID-19. With focus placed on macro modelling general claims, the government must narrow its attention to micro measures and a timeline for society’s recovery (1:26-23:44) On the weekend the IPA called for a safe and responsible roll back of social restrictions, and now the debate’s
Read
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 57: Of Moral Panics And Spendathons
3 April 2020

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 57: Of Moral Panics And Spendathons

This week’s episode is brought to you from the Looking Forward remote studio! This week the Australian Government introduced the centrepiece of their corona virus crisis strategy, ‘the job keeper scheme’. How can we bring Australians back to work to unfreeze the frozen economy? (1:48-18:06) Everyday more social restrictions are emplaced on citizens, showing many what it is to live in a police state. How much power should politicians and the police have to curtail civil liberties and at what point
Read
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 56: Our Values will Sustain Us
25 March 2020

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 56: Our Values will Sustain Us

As the pandemic rises, government must make decisions based on uncertainty. What trade-offs are we making and what values are defining these trade-offs? (2:00-22:20) It’s the ‘short sharp shock’ model of shutdown versus the ‘flatten the curve’ approach, which should guide Australian policy? (22:20-34:44) The pandemic has put extreme pressure on job loss and the economy, how are governments all
Read
The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 55: The Patient Needs to Survive the Cure
18 March 2020

The Looking Forward Podcast Episode 55: The Patient Needs to Survive the Cure

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down. Whilst governments all around the world scramble for solutions, what are the policy affects for citizens? (3:25-16:10). Different countries’ approach to the pandemic response highlight complexities of decision making, and the importance of sensibly drawing on rather than deferring to experts. (16:10-26:50) The virus has pricked open many underlying economic issues,
Read