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.”
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Lester Munson on Kamala Harris’s style and a changed Trump
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Joe Hockey on how Australia should navigate a second Trump term
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Fatima Payman on the challenges and opportunities of being a crossbencher
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on 'calling out' claims about the energy transition's cost
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Peter Malinauskas on political donations, kids on social media, and the nuclear option
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Clive Hamilton on how Australians must adapt to 'Living Hot'
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Andrew Norton on the Albanese government's interventionist policy to cut foreign student numbers
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Andrew Bragg flags a coalition would use 'coercion' of the states to get more new houses built
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Madeleine King on investment incentives and the pivotal role of gas
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Budget fight looms on Future Made in Australia tax breaks
Politics with Michelle Grattan: James Paterson on prospects for passage of the government's deportation bill
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Anne Summers says we need much more information on male perpetrators of violence against women
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Economist Chris Richardson on recent economic data and whats in store for the upcoming budget
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Independent MP Dai Le on the church attack in her electorate
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Josh Burns on being a Jewish MP during a terrible conflict
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Andrew Leigh on competition - economic and political
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kim Beazley on Kevin Rudd, being an ambassador, and a possible second Trump presidency
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Cyber expert Lesley Seebeck on TikTok’s future in Australia
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Masculinity expert Michael Flood on boys and men behaving badly
Politics with Michelle Grattan: John Blaxland on spies, AUKUS, and an unsettled Washington
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free