Coronavirus is not the villain: Australia’s economy was already on a precipice
If you thought the prime minister was slow to respond to the bushfire crisis, take a look at his response to Australia’s ailing economy. Morrison is currently trying to pivot away from the government’s economic inaction using the coronavirus outbreak as cover, but the only reason the coronavirus might push Australia into recession is because the economy has been languishing since the Coalition took office in 2013.
In the past seven years of Coalition government, including the five years Scott Morrison has been treasurer or prime minister, the Australian economy hasn’t once grown above its trend rate of growth. As the figure below shows, the last treasurer to oversee an economy that was booming was Wayne Swan.
