Nothing is off the table

"Nothing's off the table."

A commonplace idiom we find ourselves hearing over and over again through these historic times. With much of the world's nations decapitating their economies in the name of public health, leaders from across the spectrum are coming out signalling an "all-hands on" approach to recovery, limited only by the civic imagination.

Here in Australia, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and a return of normalcy can almost be felt. Although things will take some time to return to how they were pre-COVID (how foreign does the concept of jamming into a crowded pub now feel?) , leaders around our expansive country are rightfully calling for a holistic and bold recovery plan. 

4 Corners this week documented the incapacity of our political class to seal a deal on carbon emissions since the issue truly arose in a political sense at the dawn of the new millennium. We have been debating (some would say sabotaging is a more apt description) this issue for close to a quarter of a century!! Regardless of where you fall on the policy side of this, no issue should take this long to solve or at least form some kind of compromise. This pandemic, in all its magnitude, may just be the kick up the butt we need to start reconciling policy differences and truly leave nothing off the table in our recovery plan. This is filtering down though too. Leaders in the private sector, non-governmental, and the public service are all realising that we cannot continue as business as usual and nor will our economy and society go back to that. Such a sharp shock to the system will inevitably lead to changes and new ways. I'm looking forward to seeing where the path being forged by our current leaders, ends up. Amidst this dismal doldrum we find ourselves in, a ray of hope and excitement can surely come from a recovery where nothing's off the table.