Anika Stobart

Anika is a Grattan Associate who joined the Grattan Institute in January 2020 following three years working in policy at the Australian Government Department of Agriculture.

Anika holds a Bachelor in Laws and a Bachelor in Science from Monash University.

Anika's recent articles

NSW’s reopening plan is risky, and signals an end to a national approach

NSW’s reopening plan is risky, and signals an end to a national approach

By abandoning the national plan, NSW's gamble to go it alone on easing restrictions for fully vaccinated people further fractures federalism... NSW initially locked down too little and too late.

Opening with 70% of adults vaccinated, the Doherty report predicts 1.5K deaths in 6 months. We need a revised plan

One consequence of the escalating COVID outbreak in New South Wales has been increased political tension around the “national plan” for COVID reopening.

When should mandatory vaccination be on the agenda?

When should mandatory vaccination be on the agenda?

Back in August 2020, when announcing that Australia had negotiated a deal to procure supplies of coronavirus vaccines, the Prime Minister was quizzed by Melbourne radio commentator Neil Mitchell about whether vaccination should be compulsory. The PM hedged his bets – he would ‘expect it to be as mandatory as you can possibly make [it]’. Fast forward almost year and national cabinet recently started down the compulsion path – mandating vaccinations for residential aged care workers.

The critics are wrong: Australia needs a universal aged care system

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has envisioned a new aged care system that would ‘deliver an entitlement to high-quality care and support for older people, and ensure that they receive it’. It’s a call for sweeping change.

The floods are a deadly reminder of the rising threat of climate change

The flooding rains in NSW, southern Queensland, and eastern Victoria are another deadly example of worsening natural disasters made more likely by climate change.

Australia’s COVID-19 response Part 2: The four successes and four failures

Australia’s response to coronavirus to date has been among the most successful in the world. After an exponential increase that peaked at more than 400 cases a day in late March, daily cases declined to about 20 a month later, with some states recording several successive days or weeks with no new cases. At the same time, rapid growth in infections in almost every other comparable country threatened to overwhelm their health systems.

Australia’s COVID-19 response Part 1 of 2: the story so far

Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been remarkably successful. After an exponential increase that peaked at more than 400 cases a day in late March, daily cases declined to almost zero a month later.