Report: Many Australians Unlikely to Accept Future COVID-Style Lockdowns

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Above: A sign reading 'Go straight home and Isolate' is seen at the exit of a drive-through COVID testing site at Highpoint shopping center on July 4, 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. Image copyright: Asanka Ratnayake/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • The Australian government released a review of its COVID pandemic response, finding that while "courageous decisions" were made and "decisive" action was taken early on, the public health restrictions lasted too long and "eroded" public trust.

  • The report also cited a 2024 survey — which referred to the 2020 national border shutdown and long-lasting, periodic state lockdowns from 2020-2021 — that found that one-third of the country believed the government overreacted to the pandemic.

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The Spin

Narrative A

While it's unfortunate that Australia didn't have a proper system in place before the pandemic, this inquiry will help the nation in the future. To prevent another COVID-like tragedy, the government will need state-of-the-art institutions to detect, track, and study new diseases and their changing variants. And on the social side of the issue, it must ensure that poor and vulnerable communities aren't disproportionately impacted by public health mandates.

The Conversation

Narrative B

The Australian government has provided no reason for why it should be trusted again. Not only did it impose Orwellian lockdowns on its citizens, but these draconian measures didn't ultimately slow the spread of COVID in the end. The government is now calling for public health-related censorship, further proving its distaste for freedom. The public has a right to question any future policies proposed by their power-hungry leaders.

Metaculus Prediction