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THE SOCIAL TENSION IN AUSTRALIA RELATED TO THE WAY THE COVID

PANDEMIC WAS HANDLED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE

GROUP PROTEST LEADERS.

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Institution Affiliation.

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Instructor.

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THE SOCIAL TENSION IN AUSTRALIA RELATED TO THE WAY THE COVID

PANDEMIC WAS HANDLED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE

GROUP PROTEST LEADERS.

Introduction.

There has been social tension in Australia during the last two years related to the way the

Covid pandemic was handled by the Australian government and the organized protest group. The

government has been accused of not doing enough to prevent the spread of the virus, and the

protest group has been critical of the government's response to the pandemic. There have been a

number of protests in Australia since the outbreak of the pandemic, with some people calling for

the government to do more to protect public health and others calling for the government to ease

restrictions on businesses and allow more social interaction.

Social tension is a concept developed by Charles Cooley (Hinkle, 1967). It posits that an

individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the attitudes and feelings of

others in their immediate society. When individuals feel socially accepted, they will behave in a

manner consistent with those expectations. So if someone feels like they are not being noticed or

socially accepted they will act differently than if they were to feel accepted by others.

The Covid 19 pandemic of 2020 was a worldwide pandemic caused by an infectious

strain of adenovirus known as Covid 19, or for short. The virus originated in China before

spreading globally via international air travel. The mortality rate of the pandemic is not known

but the World Health Organization estimated that it appeared to be similar to other adenoviruses.

A vaccine was developed by the CDC in early December of 2020 and patients were evacuated to

treatment camps set up around the globe before many countries closed their borders and became

quarantined.
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Actions of the organized protest groups.

People were protesting against the government's vaccination requirement, according to

the Wion web team (Team, 2021). In Australia, there is a vaccine debate. Since the start of the

Covid epidemic, there has been a lot of debate in Australia about societal tensions. Despite the

fact that practically everyone in Australia was touched by the health crisis, some people,

including scientists and physicians, spoke out against vaccines (Team, 2021). They argued that

they were not safe enough, or were developed with bad intentions such as profit-making. On the

other hand, many disagreed with this statement. They pointed out that it would be a serious

mistake not to get vaccinated as it could lead to death. For example, American neuroscientist

David Eagleman argued in an interview with ABC News: "I think people are going to die if they

don't get vaccinated.The choice is very simple: It's yes or no." This debate was one of the main

reasons why people did not have full confidence in these shots and decided not to have them

administered.

The protest group also asked that the Victorian Premier be removed since the measure

would empower him to proclaim a pandemic as well as state of emergency perpetually, give the

healthcare minister wide public health measures, and give authorisation officers the right to keep

people under quarantine (Convey, 2021).

People argue that the government should not mandate the vaccine because it is a personal

decision and they should be able to choose whether or not to vaccinate. They believe that

everyone has the right to make their own decision about their health and their body, and that the

government should not be able to force them to do something against their will. They are also

against it because it is not 100% effective and there is a small chance that someone could still get

sick after being vaccinated (Team, 2021). They believe that mandating the vaccine could give
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people a false sense of security and that it is not worth the risk of potential side effects. Another

reasons why they protest is because there are potential side effects that could be worse than the

disease itself. They believe that the potential risks of the vaccine outweigh the benefits, and that

mandating it could lead to more harm than good. People argue that the government should not

mandate the vaccine because it is not yet known how long the immunity from the vaccine lasts.

They believe that mandating the vaccine could lead to people becoming complacent about the

disease and not taking the necessary precautions to prevent its spread. They also believes there is

a small chance that the vaccine could cause someone to develop the disease it is meant to protect

against. They believe that the risk of the vaccine causing the disease is too high to justify

mandating it. People argue that the government should not mandate the vaccine because it is not

yet clear if the vaccine is safe for pregnant women or young children (Borriello et al., 2021).

They believe that more research is needed to determine the safety of the vaccine for these groups

of people before it is mandated. The protest group also believe it is not yet clear if the vaccine is

effective in preventing the spread of the disease to others. They believe that more research is

needed to determine the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing the disease from spreading before

it is mandated.

Action of the government officials.

To coordinate the reaction to COVID-19, the Australian government formed an

unprecedented "national cabinet" that included the leadership of all Governmental bodies.

Physical separation and lockout procedures were used to prevent the spread of COVID-19

infections (Dawel et al., 2020). From Unde Australia's lockdown regulations, only four reasons

were given for inhabitants to leave their homes: if work could not be accomplished from home;

receiving medical care as well as providing adequate care and support; practising with no more
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than one other person; and restricting immigration and limiting foreign trips. Apart from

takeaway, non-essential businesses like coffee shops were also closed. People and products were

either prevented or severely restricted from moving between states and provinces. People who

contracted the disease, returned from overseas trips, or interacted with a substantiated positive

case were told to quarantine themselves for 14 days. This eventually evolved into mandated by

law monitored restraint in accommodations for all international visitors, regardless of their

COVID-19 status (Dawel et al., 2020).

Lockdown laws were implemented in Australia, resulting in panic purchasing and

stringent limitations on personal purchases of certain items. Medicines, especially insulin and

diabetes-related treatments, were stockpiled and limited short-term shortages emerged (Dawel et

al., 2020). Restriction on the dispensation of specific prescriptions and diabetes-related items, as

well as constructive communication to persons with diabetes, helped to overcome these issues.

Except for the children of vital employees, schools were closed to all pupils. Due to the fact that

Australian schools are governed by state and local authorities, these initiatives elicited a broad

variety of responses across the country, producing widespread consternation and concern.

The Australian government has published a COVID Safe tracking mobile phone app,

encouraging all Australians to download it and linking it to a reduction of social distancing and

closure restrictions. Surprisingly, several complaints claimed that this software interfered with

diabetic applications and gadgets (Berger, 2020).

The Australian health-care system reacted to COVID-19 with a strong and well-coordinated

effort to prepare hospitals for the expected COVID-19 patient influx by:

• Ward reorganisation - extending or constructing new ICUs with distinct facilities for

those with COVID-19 and those who do not.

• Establishing specialised "fever" clinics that are tied to the clinic but separate from other

services, particularly emergency rooms.

• Innovative screening approaches, including the use of self-registration and self-screening

instrument, drive-through screenings, and rapid through-put health checks, to allow

hospital staff with minimal symptoms to be examined and back to work before a day.

• Obtaining adequate protective gear, including those from pre-existing government

healthcare resource stockpiles, as well as providing training on specialised gowning

methods that can be done swiftly and effectively (Berger, 2020).

• Contracts between state government as well as private hospitals that allow the latter to

accept COVID or non-COVID patients as needed.

• Contact tracking people who have been exposed to someone who has been diagnosed

with COVID-19, as well as developing and deploying the COVID Safe link tracing app.

• Accelerated approval and execution of COVID-related research projects, including

increased financing from our research development funding bodies (Berger, 2020).

Other hospital service adjustments included the reassignment of certain workers to COVID

testing and service locations, based on local requirements and staff skill sets (Berger, 2020).

Temperature readings and inquiries about abroad travel, fever, any indications of illness, and any

interaction with known COVID individuals are administered to all personnel, patients, and

visitors entering the facility. Ward rounds were sometimes restricted to two medical experts in

many hospitals. In other places, like as outpatient areas, wards, and birth suites, visitor numbers

were limited to one, or infrequently two. Because residents in aged-care homes are among the

most vulnerable to COVID, no visits were allowed (Borriello et al., 2021).

By creating a nationwide contact center, promoting general respiratory clinics, and offering

digital infection control practices drill, the Australian Government gave specialised COVID

assistance to primary and speciality care providers. The Australian government expanded

accessibility to its universal coverage system, the Pharmaceutical Benefits System, by

establishing phone line item numbers for healthcare workers, including medical doctors and

consultant endocrinologists, in order to ensure continuity of care for telehealth consultations.

Mistakes done by the government leaderships.

The Australian government officials used bureaucratic leadership in handling the Covid

pandemic. They were lack of communication and cooperation among each other because they

thought that they were competing for the party who are in power. The main concerns of

bureaucratic leadership are popularity and efficiency which is opposite of political leadership

where the main concern is equality and rights. I think this is still working in modern society,

because if people think those who have impact on them will do better for them then the majority

will support them

According to Ginnett, Curphy and Hughes (1999) the Australian government officials

made several mistakes in handling the Covid pandemic. The main areas identified were lack of

preparation and planning, lack of communication and coordination, and poor crisis management.

Poor crisis management.

The Australian federal and state governments had poor crisis management during the

spread of the Covid virus, which led to many unnecessary deaths during the pandemic. Poor

communication was a major factor in this crisis management failure. Despite being on high alert

since the first cases were diagnosed in late February 2020, neither governments nor health
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officials took steps to provide effective public information about this disease until April 2020

(Berger, 2020).

The Australian government was slow to act when the pandemic first began. They did not

implement strict lockdown measures until the virus had already begun to spread throughout the

country. This allowed the virus to gain a foothold and led to a much larger outbreak than could

have been otherwise avoided.

Lack of communication and coordination

The government failed to communicate and coordinate with either their own officials or

the public regarding their policies during the Covid pandemic. Officials were left unsure as to

what their responsibilities were and how they should carry out those responsibilities. There was

no clear line of command, leading to confusion over who was in charge at any given time.

Coordination was lacking between officials from different agencies, both within the private and

public sector.

The Australian government did not provide clear and concise information to the public.

This led to confusion and anxiety among the population, as people were unsure of what was

happening and what they should do. They did not take appropriate steps to prevent the infection

and spread of COVID, because they were afraid to panic people and considered that containment

was adequate until they had more information. After the virus started spreading out of control,

they made another mistake by not giving any information about the disease, thinking that it

would only add to the panic. Finally, after public outcry for more information about COVID

emerged due to lack of trust in government officials, who had previously provided incorrect

information about other health issues just before undergoing elections causing most Australians
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to lose confidence in them. The Australian government did not properly coordinate their

response efforts. This led to a patchwork response that was often contradictory and confusing.

They also did not effectively utilize all available resources. They did not effectively utilize the

military to assist with the pandemic response, and they did not adequately utilize contact tracing

measures (Team, 2021).

The Australian government's response to the Covid outbreak was a perfect example of

how not to handle an emergency. The initial response was that the disease was not a threat, so

resources were not allocated to combat it. When this information turned out to be wrong, nothing

was done until it was too late. The lack of communication within government agencies led them

to miss crucial information about how the disease spread, which in turn hindered efforts to

contain it. Finally, there was no coordination between state and federal governments, which

contributed greatly to their inability to adequately respond to the pandemic. The Australian

government had a poor response to the Covid pandemic. Due to their lack of communication

with the people, many people died unnecessarily and quickly and the outbreak spread from one

state to another before anything could be done about it.

Lack of preparation and planning,

The Australian government lacked preparation and response to the Covid pandemic

(Ginnet et al., 1999). They failed to realize the full extent of this pandemic, and still do not know

how it started. There was a complete lack of communication between state and federal

governments, which caused conflict between them. This prevented any effective action from

being taken against Covid, until a few years into its existence. When the government did try and

implement measures against Covid, they were very ineffective due to lack of preparation

beforehand. The Australian government did not adequately plan for the long-term impact of the
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pandemic (Convey, 2021). They did not put in place sufficient measures to deal with the

economic fallout from the pandemic, and they did not adequately plan for the mental health

impacts of the pandemic. They also failed to adequately prepare for the impact of the pandemic.

They did not implement sufficient testing and tracing measures, and they did not have enough

hospital beds and ventilators available to deal with the influx of patients.

The Australian government, who has led the response to the Covid pandemic and are

responsible for responding to emergencies, failed to effectively plan and prepare for such a

catastrophic event. Instead they waited on the U.S. government's guidance of what to do during

the initial stages of the pandemic until it was too late. This complacency contributed significantly

to Australia's unpreparedness and delayed response in containing and managing this deadly

virus.

What the government could have done more effectively.

The Australian government officials could have done more effectively in handling Covid

19 pandemic in the country in 2020. For example, they could have put in more effort to prepare

for pandemic by also doing a better job at mapping out which towns and cities to prioritize their

monitoring of. By making this comprehensive map, it'll help them respond to the pandemic

effectively, especially when it comes to prevention measures such as closing down borders,

quarantine and checking temperatures on those returning from the infected countries (Dawel et

al., 2020).

The Australian government could have reacted more effectively on the spread of the

pandemic in the country. For example, they could have responded faster by developing a

vaccine, raised awareness to citizens and taking measures to prevent the virus from spreading.
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The Australian government could have provided more clear and concise information to

the public about the pandemic and what was being done to mitigate its spread. This would have

helped to ensure that the public was better informed and could make more informed decisions

about their own safety.

The Australian government could have invested more in public health measures such as

contact tracing and testing. This would have helped to identify cases of the virus and track its

spread.

Mistakes done by the organized protest groups.

Mistakes done by the organized protest group’s leaders in handling COVID 19 pandemic

in Australia were studied. These include: Poor communication between protest groups, poor

relationship with government and media and other problems.

Poor communication between protest groups

The leaders of the organized protest groups in Australia had poor communication

between themselves in handling COVID 19 pandemic (Ginnet et al., 1999). The leaders of the

protest groups wanted better communication than the official channels that were provided by the

government so that they could take control of the situation. They argued that questions were not

being answered, but there was no way for them to interact with each other without an effective

system for this type of communication because everyone was made a private message channel

within their own group. Some expected favors from others who served as moderators in their

channel. This is why we believe it was easy for people to leave these private channels because

they did not want to be involved with anyone outside their own group. Implicit Networks are

designed around this idea and allows users to easily drop in and out of conversation while

keeping discussions organized.

Poor relationship with government and media.

Due to the large nature of the COVID 19 pandemic in Australia, it was difficult for the

government and media to be able to communicate with all of the protest groups properly. The

leaders' responses were often more aggressive than they should have been; this restricted a lot of

what the media could talk about, which is reflected by them not covering some issues that were

important to protesters but not worthwhile mentioning in mainstream media.

Lack of clear goals and objectives.

The protest groups in Australia were not clear about their goals and objectives from the

beginning (Ginnet et al., 1999). This led to confusion and chaos within the group, and ultimately,

the group was not able to achieve its objectives. For example, the group did not have a clear goal

of what they wanted to achieve through their protests. This led to the group not being able to

focus their efforts and ultimately not being effective.

Lack of clear plan of action

The protest groups in Australia did not have a clear plan of action. This led to the groups

being disorganized and ultimately not being effective in their protests. For example, the groups

did not have a clear plan of what they were going to do during their protest. This led to the

groups not being able to execute their plan effectively and ultimately not being effective in their

protest.

Lack of preparation.

The protest groups in Australia were not prepared for the media. This led to the groups

being portrayed in a negative light and ultimately not being effective in their protests. For

example, the groups did not have a plan for how they were going to deal with the media. This led
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to the groups being caught off guard by the media and ultimately not being effective in their

protest (Ginnet et al., 1999).

What the protest groups could have one more effectively.

Organized protest groups in Australia made their mistakes when handling the covid 19

pandemic in the country. First, they could have better communicated their message to the public

through their various outlets (Miller &Smith, 2021). Also, they should have been more careful

with the words they used when describing those who have been infected. It was unacceptable for

them to refer to those who have been infected as "the disease carriers". Lastly, they should have

recruited more members instead of using media outlets and popular figures to promote their

cause.

The public's need for social separation and other safety precautions should have been

better emphasised by organised protest organisations in Australia. In order to successfully

prevent the transmission of the virus, protest organisations must emphasise to the public the

importance of social distance and other safety precautions. The organisations might have done a

better job of giving information and tools on how to stop the virus from spreading.

The organisations might have done a better job of giving information and tools on how to

stop the virus from spreading. The groups could have worked more closely with health

authorities to ensure that the public was well-informed about the pandemic (Miller &Smith,

2021). The groups could have advocated for more government support in terms of financial

assistance and resources. The groups could have worked with government officials to ensure that

the public had access to the resources they need to effectively prevent the spread of the virus.

The groups could have been more vocal in calling for stricter measures to be put in place to
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prevent the spread of the virus. The groups could have advocated for more government support

in terms of financial assistance and resources.

Conclusion.

The Australian government officials and the protest group leaders made mistakes in

handling the Covid pandemic. The government officials made mistakes in their preparations,

communication, and coordination. The protest group leaders made mistakes in their

communication, relationship with the government and media, and lack of clear goals and

objectives. The government officials and the protest group leaders could have done more to

effectively prevent the spread of the virus.

Reference.
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BBC. (2021, July 25). Australia covid: Anti-lockdown protesters condemned. BBC News.

Retrieved May 28, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57960044

Berger, E., & Reupert, A. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: Lessons

learnt. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(5), 494.

Borriello, A., Master, D., Pellegrini, A., & Rose, J. M. (2021). Preferences for a COVID-19

vaccine in Australia. Vaccine, 39(3), 473-479.

Convery, S. (2021, November 20). Australia covid protests: Threats against 'traitorous'

politicians as thousands rally in Capital Cities. The Guardian. Retrieved May 28, 2022,

from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/20/australia-covid-protests-

threats-against-traitorous-politicians-as-thousands-rally-in-capital-cities

Dawel, A., Shou, Y., Smithson, M., Cherbuin, N., Banfield, M., Calear, A. L., ... & Batterham, P.

J. (2020). The effect of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing in a representative

sample of Australian adults. Frontiers in psychiatry, 1026.

Ginnett, R. C., Curphy, G. J., & Hughes, R. L. (1999). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of

experience.

Hinkle, R. C. (1967). Charles Horton Cooley’s General Sociological Orientation. The

Sociological Quarterly, 8(1), 5–20. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4105433

Miller, S., & Smith, M. (2021). Ethics, public health and technology responses to COVID‐

19. Bioethics, 35(4), 366-371.

Team, W. I. O. N. W. (2021, November 27). Australia protests: People March against vaccine

mandate; demand removal of Victorian premier Daniel Andrews. WION. Retrieved May

28, 2022, from https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-protests-people-march-against-

vaccine-mandate-demand-removal-of-victorian-premier-daniel-andrews-432299