COVID-19: The Need for an Australian Economic Pandemic Response Plan

Abstract

Pandemics pressure national governments to respond swiftly. Mitigation efforts created an imbalance between population health, capacity of the healthcare system and the economy itself. Each pandemic arising from a new virus is unknown territory for policy makers, and there is considerable uncertainty of the appropriateness of responses and outcomes. This paper reviews the Australian healthcare system and economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to identify lessons learned for optimal economic preparedness and to mitigate these unknown risks. A qualitative approach was used to review mixed sources of data including Australian reports, official government publications, and COVID-19 data and publications to discern robust future responses. Publicly available COVID-19 and economic data was utilised to provide insight into the impact of the pandemic on Australia’s healthcare system, and economy. This paper explores the rationale for an economic response plan in subsumption with the health pandemic plan to guide Australian government policy makers in ensuring holistic and robust solutions for future pandemics. In future, an Australian Economic Pandemic Response Plan will aid in health and economic system preparedness, whilst a strong Australian economy and strategic planning will ensure resilience to future pandemics.