World 19.2 million USA 5 million India 2 million
In the wake of the Melbourne lockdown, the Federal Government is extending JobKeeper and is relaxing eligibility requirements. There will have to be widespread reform to a range of government policies as we move forward. The impacts of this pandemic will continue for years to come.
This insightful report by Ian Verrender points out the urgent need to reform our business and economic practices. This global pandemic has magnified the ever widening gulf between rich and poor. Economic policies over decades have resulted in a casual and insecure workforce, rising youth unemployment, no wage growth, corporate greed with their huge bonuses, and tax avoidance, and the myth of the trickly-down economy.
Beyond that we have the environmental impacts of our throw-away society and a climate change cliff staring us in the face. As Verrender states, ‘There is nothing like a crisis to shake up the status quo.’ I really hope that at the end of this crisis we emerge to a better world.
In a rare bit of good news for the environment, a number of high polluting Australian companies have banded together to implement measures that will lead to zero carbon emissions by 2050. Perhaps too little, too late. But with the current reduction in air pollution due to less air traffic and business shutdowns, there is a small window through which some clean fresh cool air could potentially blow.
It’s been very cold in Melbourne since Stage Four began and heavy rain is forecast from this afternoon. The weather gods seem to be helping to enforce the stay at home restrictions.
There were another 450 cases recorded overnight in Victoria. I hope we have finally reached the peak of this second wave.