There are many ways in which the recession brought about by the impact of COVID-19 is unlike any we have experienced before. The previously unthinkable restrictions imposed on our commercial and social pursuits have resulted in an unparalleled collapse in demand, which the current state of disaster in Victoria will both deepen and extend.

The absence of any commitment to additional stimulus spending in the Treasurer’s economic update last month has economic commentators worried, and, with two months to go until the federal budget is handed down, there is no shortage of views on what further fiscal measures the government should take to pull our economy out of its worst slump in a century.