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As 2019 drew to a close, none of us could possibly have imagined what the next year would bring. This includes Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who at the time was widely criticised for holidaying in Hawaii while bushfires raged at home. So few would have guessed, writes Michelle Grattan, that a year later Morrison would end the year on a high — especially given the country is still struggling through the deepest economic downturn since the Depression.
But as he looks ahead to what 2021 might bring, what are the issues that will be at the forefront of Morrison’s mind? There is the economy, of course, although yesterday’s budget update showed it to be in better health than most people imagined three months ago. Then there’s the ongoing problem of our relationship with China, which has gone from bad to worse to diabolical this year, and managing it will be the key foreign policy concern of the coming year. There’s the pressing issue of climate policy, with Joe Biden’s election and Britain’s strong stance adding pressure to our government to do more. And industrial relations and war crimes — as detailed in the Brereton report — will also need the government’s attention in the coming year.
Many people will breathe a sigh of relief when 2020 comes to an end, but 2021 already promises many challenges ahead.
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Amanda Dunn
Section Editor: Politics + Society
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Dean Lewis/AAP and Shutterstock
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
When he ended 2019 amid literal and political smoke, it would have seemed inconceivable Scott Morrison could finish 2020 on a high. Or that he’d have reached there on the back of Australia’s worst downturn…
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Mick Tsikas/AAP
Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
The economic recovery is looking more and more V-shaped, the budget recovery will be much slower.
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Airborne Research Australia
Jorg Michael Hacker, Flinders University
Airborne data like this is usually available only to industry and government agencies and researchers — rarely to the public.
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Iran presidential office handout/EPA/AAP
Tony Walker, La Trobe University
The president-elect is also likely to be less tolerant of Israel's settlement expansion and the inroads Russia and Turkey have made into the Middle East.
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Darug women Leanne Watson, Rhiannon Wright and Jasmine Seymour at Dorumbolooa.
Avryl Whitney
Grace Karskens, UNSW; Erin Wilkins, Indigenous Knowledge; Jasmine Seymour, Indigenous Knowledge; Leanne Watson, Indigenous Knowledge; Rhiannon Wright, Indigenous Knowledge
It was once thought the Aboriginal names for the Hawkesbury had been lost forever. But after a remarkable find in the Mitchell Library, almost 100 place names will be restored to Dyarubbin Country.
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Shutterstock
Hannah Dahlen, Western Sydney University
'Catching a baby' or caring for new parents on Christmas Day is special, midwives say. But Christmas can also be a vulnerable time for many women, especially so during a pandemic.
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Business + Economy
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Richard Holden, UNSW
The Morrison government has through great skill and some luck helped avoid Austrlaia a COVID catastrophe.
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Spencer M. Ross, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Sommer Kapitan, Auckland University of Technology
Christmas is traditionally a time of giving, including to charities and the needy. But what happens when so few of us carry cash anymore?
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Weihuan Zhou, UNSW; Lisa Toohey, University of Newcastle
A formal resolution off Australia's complaint about Chinese barley tariffs will likely take years. But at least it starts a structured process for dialogue.
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Science + Technology
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Farkhondeh Hassandoust, Auckland University of Technology
New Zealanders will travel more during the summer period and it is more important than ever to use the contact-tracing app to improve our chances of controlling any potential outbreaks.
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Ray Norris, Western Sydney University
A collaboration between Australian and German scientists gives an unrivalled view of the structure of the Universe.
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Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; Alex James, University of Canterbury
New Zealanders will have be prepared to change holiday plans if there is an new community outbreak.
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Education
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Sarah Dart, Queensland University of Technology
Students prefer videos that are simply produced, convenient to watch and with a narrative that's delivered in an informal conversational way.
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Erin Leif, Monash University; Pearl Subban, Monash University; Russell Fox, Monash University; Umesh Sharma, Monash University
There are a number of evidence based practices that have shown to dramatically reduce challenging student behaviour at school. Here are five of them.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Michelle Grattan discusses MYEFO with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
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Arts + Culture
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Jo Caust, University of Melbourne
Lockdowns, job loss and university courses struck down: 2020 was a difficult year for Australia's artists. But there was light through the darkness.
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