Campus Review Podcasts

When UNSW Economics Professor Gigi Foster appeared on ABC’s Q & A program in late July, she triggered a storm of criticism. Sitting alongside medical experts, Foster advanced the argument that lockdown measures would hurt the economy and individuals’ mental health so much that it would – in the longer term – lead to poorer quality lives, reduced labour productivity and health complications that could burden the health system and lead to early death. In short, the situation could be worse and a particular number of people may have to die to avoid this scenario.Unsurprisingly, some panelists and community members interpreted Foster’s argument as an attack on the sanctity of human lives, with one panelist calling her argument "abhorrent".To explore this debate further, Campus Review spoke to another economist about this highly controversial issue - Glyn Wittwer, a professor at the Centre of Public Policy at Victoria University. While he acknowledges that locking the economy down for a period of time will ine