Risks and rewards - improving Australia’s vaccine rollout

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, former Surgeon General of the Australian Defence Force Tracy Smart and economist Quentin Grafton join Mark Kenny to discuss Australia’s vaccine strategy.

The Australian Government messaging of ‘stay home, save lives’ in the early days of the pandemic proved to be highly effective, with Australians by-and-large complying with unprecedented nationwide lockdown measures. But with the country’s vaccine rollout hitting a series of speed bumps in recent months and the vast majority of the population still unvaccinated, has the government messed up its messaging? How can federal and state governments get the program back on track to ensure the Australian community is protected? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, ANU Crawford School of Public Policy’s Professor Quentin Grafton and Professor Tracy Smart AO, retired Air Vice-Marshall and former Surgeon General of the Australian Defence Force, join Professor Mark Kenny to examine Australia’s vaccine rollout.

Tracy Smart AO is an Australian physician, medical administrator, and retired Surgeon General of the Royal Australian Air Force. Tracy is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, the Australasian of College of Aerospace Medicine, the Aerospace Medicine Association, and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies.

Quentin Grafton is Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Professor of Economics at Crawford School, an ANU Public Policy Fellow, and Editor-in-Chief of Policy Forum.

Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

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