Societal Security Trust Issues in Australia during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1641-4233.26.07

Keywords:

Australia, pandemic, national security, societal security, COVID-19

Abstract

In late December 2019 and early January 2020 the first cases of a new coronavirus occurred in Wuhan. It is a virus characterised by similarities to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). On January 25, 2020 the initial case of infection by SARS-CoV-2 caused the disease COVID-19 in an Australian patient who later died from it. During my PhD thesis defence in September 2018 I would not have thought that one of the possible security scenarios which I designed for the South Pacific region, related to epidemic threats, would soon come true. Despite some obvious and high indicators resulting, for example, from a geopolitical location in the vicinity of China, the probability of an epidemic outbreak seemed nigh unbelievable. This article focuses on societal security. It is impossible to make a solid analysis of an epidemic impact on societal security in various countries in a single article; therefore, I concentrate specifically on the case of Australia. The goal of this article is to explain how Australians cope with the epidemic and if they are prepared for a drastic change in their lifestyles. Do they put trust in governmental institutions? What issues appear to be main societal threats in Australian society during the pandemic? I conclude with thoughts about new societal directions that are going to be implemented should the scale of the pandemic persist. Due to limited length, my overview is not exhaustive; instead, it focuses on core findings about the condition of Australian society during the pandemic.

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Author Biography

Jowita Brudnicka-Żółtaniecka, University of Social Sciences, Polish Geopolitical Society, ANZORA

Jowita Brudnicka-Żółtaniecka – PhD, PhD in Security Studies, academic lecturer at the University of Social Sciences, history teacher (2017–2019) and a member of the Regional Studies Association Sussex Innovation Center. A graduate of the Academy of War Art and the Academy of Foreign Service of Collegium Civitas (Poland). Her research focuses on the national and international security of the Pacific region, especially the aspects of threat prediction. Author of over 20 peer-reviewed articles and chapters in academic journals and collected volumes. Organiser and participant of conferences on security and international relations.

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Published

2022-01-30

How to Cite

Brudnicka-Żółtaniecka, J. (2022). Societal Security Trust Issues in Australia during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. International Studies. Interdisciplinary Political and Cultural Journal, 26(2), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.18778/1641-4233.26.07