The Australian Federal Response to the Covid-19 Crisis

Covid-19 presents public health issues of an unprecedented character. The increasingly globalised society in which we live has enabled this highly infectious disease to cross borders with relative ease. This has proved to be a challenge for national governments, especially in federated countries like Australia where the powers of government are divided between federal, state, and local levels. This chapter examines the ways in which the particular configuration of the Australian federal system has affected the country’s Covid-19 response. Through an analysis of events beginning with the first Australian Covid-19 case and leading up to the time of writing, it is argued that the Australian model allowed for central co-ordination and regional differentiation which, despite policy and administrative failures, enabled a remarkably robust response to curbing the spread of the virus. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Nico Steytler.