Australia recently passed the grim milestone of 10,000 COVID deaths, with authorities warning of a fresh wave of the virus taking hold across the country. Every day we hear of the toll this is taking: not only in the obvious devastation it causes to families, but in the hospital system under enormous strain, of depleted ambulance services and workforces struggling to find enough staff to make their businesses sustainable.

Meanwhile, governments seem reluctant to reintroduce some of the more strict measures they utilised in the early months of the pandemic, and are particularly shy of those that might involve the “m” word: mandate. Why is this the case?

As Stephen and Sarah Duckett write, it’s not just about the fact the two biggest states, Victoria and NSW, face elections in the coming months. They argue that even though the Morrison government was ousted in the May election, its pandemic legacy is hindering the country’s ability to curb the virus. The notion it is a “mild” virus and the emphasis on individual responsibility in managing its risk did a great deal of damage to public perception, especially when combined, as it was, with a woeful public information campaign.

So, they argue, now is the time for strong leadership, because “public health requires collective action, not simply a reliance on the easy cop-out of individual responsibility”.

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