We have an inquiry, now what? What should we expect, what should we ask for post-COVID inquiry?

With each passing day the impact of the coronavirus upon global supply chains is becoming painfully apparent, with Australia’s economy teetering on the edge of disaster, national resilience declining and public support for a co-ordinated response growing. 

Amid mounting threats of economic coercion and the looming challenge of a global economic downturn, many public policy experts and journalists are now prompting the government to embrace a diversified plan for sustainable, value-adding economic growth and sovereign industry development.

Driven by an unprecedented economic transformation, propelling once developing nations onto the world stage, the region, the globe and its established powers, including Australia, have enjoyed a period of previously unseen economic prosperity and stability. 

Across the Indo-Pacific, competing economic, political and strategic interests, designs and ambitions are beginning to clash, flying in contrast to the projections of many historians at the end of the Cold War – further compounding these issues is the continued instability caused by the coronavirus and concerns about ecological collapse.

Driven by an unprecedented economic transformation, propelling once developing nations onto the world stage, the region, the globe and its established powers are having to adjust to a dramatically different global power paradigm – one committed to undermining and influencing the fabric of Australian and Western democracies.

As a result, both the public and government are relatively unaccustomed to the economic, political and strategic realities of mass social isolation, a comparatively mild form of rationing and what seems to be a relatively low, albeit tragic body count, however, it isn't all doom and gloom as the COVID-19 predicament seems to have shaken the Australian public's confidence in the public policy status quo. 

Far from the “end of history” we were promised at the end of the Cold War by the likes of Francis Fukuyama and Samuel Huntington, COVID-19 for many was not what they anticipated causing a major reshuffle in the global power dynamics, at least not in the 21st century.

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This is particularly the case following the near two decades of US-led Western attention on countering violent extremism in the Middle East, which has paved the way for the likes of Russia and China to quietly position themselves as credible rivals to the liberal-democratic, capitalist world order. 

In response, chair for the joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade (JSCFADT), senator David Fawcett, has confirmed the terms of reference and called for submissions for an inquiry into the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade.

Senator Fawcett emphasised the strategic shock that COVID-19 has delivered to long-held assumptions that have underpinned some of Australia’s policy frameworks in recent decades. Learning from the impacts of COVID-19, and understanding future risks and opportunities, will play a key role in considered decision-making as Australia charts a path into a changed world.

For reference, the JSCFADT will inquire into the strategic implications of COVID-19, having particular regard to:

• Implications for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade policy, particularly with respect to strategic alliances and regional security;
• Threats to the global rules-based order that emerged due to actions by nation-states during the pandemic, and how such threats can be mitigated in the event of future crises;
• The impact on human rights;
• Supply chain integrity/assurance to critical enablers of Australian security (such as health, economic and transport systems, and defence);
• What policy and practical measures would be required to form an ongoing effective national framework to ensure the resilience required to underpin Australia’s economic and strategic objectives; and
• Any related matters.

Building on this criteria, it is critical to pose a few key questions to Australia's public policy and strategic policy leaders, namely:

1. What should the Australian public expect from the inquiry;
2. What should Australians ask for from their leaders;
3. What are the immediate action items to consider and implement; and 
4. What is the end goal for Australia?

This has prompted an increasing number of strategic policy experts, journalists and politicians to increasingly vocalise the growing demands from the Australian public to do more to ensure Australia's economic, political and strategic integrity.

Understanding the difference between 'national security' and 'national resilience'

The increasing vulnerability and shortfalls of Australia's infrastructure networks, broad sectors of the national economy, environment and the population as a whole all serve as visible challenges to the nation's resilience and capacity to withstand not only increasing global and regional competition, but equally thrive in an age of disruption.

National resilience, as opposed to national security, takes on a more diverse array of challenges for national political and strategic leaders to accommodate, directly impacting the future stability and viability of nations and populations.

Accordingly, the subject of National Resilience and sovereignty has traditionally focused on the impact of natural disasters and similar national emergencies and the capacity of a nation to survive and thrive post-disaster. 

Australia has recognised this factor, and formed the National Resilience Taskforce in April 2018 under the former minister for law enforcement and cyber security, now Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, with the focus on "national direction needed to underline climate and disaster risk and improve national resilience across all sectors in Australia".

This taskforce identified key drivers impacting the nation's resilience, including: 

• Natural hazards are more frequent and intense;
• Essential services are interconnected and interdependent;
• People and assets are more exposed and vulnerable;
• Disaster impacts are long-term and complex;
• The costs of disasters are growing; and
• The momentum to address the financial impacts of a changing climate is building.

It is clear that given the impact of Australia's cyclical droughts, monsoonal rains and ravaging bushfires, these natural disasters that would traditionally fall under the 'national resilience' category are equally important factors in maintaining long-term national security objectives. 

Equally important factors that traditionally fall under the 'national security' category but would be equally at home in the resilience category are factors like energy, water and resource security; infrastructure and industry development; diversity and economic competitiveness; and traditional 'hard power' concepts like defence and intelligence all serve as essential components for a nation's resilience and sovereignty. 

Your thoughts

Australia’s position and responsibilities in the Indo-Pacific region will depend on the nation’s ability to sustain itself economically, strategically and politically.

Despite the nation’s virtually unrivalled wealth of natural resources, agricultural and industrial potential, there is a lack of a cohesive national security strategy integrating the development of individual yet complementary public policy strategies to support a more robust Australian role in the region.

Enhancing Australia’s capacity to act as an independent power, incorporating great power-style strategic economic, diplomatic and military capability serves as a powerful symbol of Australia’s sovereignty and evolving responsibilities in supporting and enhancing the security and prosperity of Indo-Pacific Asia.

However, as events continue to unfold throughout the region and China continues to throw its economic, political and strategic weight around, can Australia afford to remain a secondary power or does it need to embrace a larger, more independent role in an era of increasing great power competition?

Further complicating the nation’s calculations is the declining diversity of the national economy, the ever-present challenge of climate change impacting droughts, bushfires and floods, Australia’s energy security and the infrastructure needed to ensure national resilience. 

Let us know your thoughts and ideas about the development of a holistic national security strategy and the role of a minister for national security to co-ordinate the nation’s response to mounting pressure from nation-state and asymmetric challenges in the comments section below, or get in touch with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..