Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
In light of Victoria’s cautious roadmap out of lockdown, with some experts claiming the exit is too fast, and others believing it is unnecessarily slow, the modelling underpinning the decisions is under close scrutiny.
University of Melbourne Professor Jodie McVernon is director of epidemiology at the Doherty Institute, and a modelling expert.
She tells the podcast, “I think the broad qualitative conclusions of the model would have been reached by really any kind of model formulation - that the lower numbers can be driven down, the less likely a resurgence would be”.
This week saw a pause in the progress towards a hoped-for Oxford vaccine, when a clinical trial produced an unexplained illness in one participants.
But McVernon remains optimistic. “I think we will get vaccines. I don’t think we’ll get perfect ones, but I’m hoping we’ll get useful ones – because without vaccines, we only have behaviour to prevent this disease. … So I think [a vaccine will] be one of a suite of things that we’ll be using into the future to control the spread of Covid.”
The pandemic has seen ‘experts’, including public health officials and academics, come centre stage as public figures – as policy heroes but, latterly, also targets for some critics who think their voices are carrying too much influence.
“I would have to say I’m a very reluctantly public figure,” McVernon says.
“[I] was convinced by others early on that it is important …in these times of uncertainty that people are reassured by having the evidence explained.
"If we we do have expert knowledge and we can help to clarify things for the public - I think that’s an important responsibility. Part of having knowledge is sharing that knowledge.”
Stephen Duckett on what's gone wrong with the rollout
Linda Burney on the treatment of Indigenous Women
Sussan Ley on being a woman in politics
Zali Steggall on Monday's march and Scott Morrison's response
Fleur Johns on the rule of law
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Patricia Sparrow on the Royal Commission into Aged Care
Former MP Kate Ellis on the culture in parliament house
David Littleproud on The Nationals and net zero
Anthony Albanese on his new frontbench, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Labor’s imminent workplace policy
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on promising budget figures
Chief Scientist Alan Finkel on climate, energy and emissions
Asia-Pacific expert Bates Gill on China’s endgame
two views on increasing the super contribution
Defence expert Allan Behm on the background to the Brereton report
Joel Fitzgibbon on Labor climate policy and leadership
economist Danielle Wood on Australia’s ‘blokey’ budge
a budget for a pandemic
Chris Richardson on what Tuesday’s budget will and should do
New Zealand’s Helen Clark on the pandemic inquiry and avoiding election ‘cat fights
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Angus Taylor on the 'gas-fired' recovery
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free