Listen: An Interview with Kurt Mahlburg on Australia’s Covid Response
Check out this two-hour conversation with Kurt Mahlburg on Australia’s response to Covid, hosted by The Political Animals’ Jonathan Cole. Their down-to-earth review of the last two years is sure to provide perspective and encouragement for those still afraid to voice an honest opinion on the pandemic.
The Canberra Declaration’s Kurt Mahlburg has been a vocal critic of the government’s response to Covid. For the two year anniversary of Australia’s first confirmed Covid case, Jonathan Cole invited Kurt to join him in reviewing Australia’s pandemic response on The Political Animals.
Jonathan is an academic, writer, speaker and translator who specialises in political theology. His aim on The Political Animals is to host “honest conversations about the political, theological and cultural ideas that shape who we are in the 21st century”.
The show’s tagline aptly describes Kurt and Jonathan’s two-hour discussion, which covered all the hot topics — including masking, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and the role of the government in the lives of Australians.
Kurt’s Story and the Three Phases of Covid
Kurt opened by telling his own Covid story, which included a cancelled wedding, honeymoon homelessness, thwarted plans to move overseas, and an unexpected relocation from Adelaide to Sydney.
The conversation then proceeded through three distinct phases of the pandemic — loosely Phase 1: Wash your hands and flatten the curve; Phase 2: Delta and lockdowns; and Phase 3: Omicron and living with Covid.
While Kurt has written extensively about all things Covid, and Jonathan has been quieter and less critical on the topic, the two of them found broad agreement on many of the topics they discussed.
It was a down-to-earth and fascinating conversation that is likely to appeal to Australians who remain confused about the events of the last two years, or who are afraid to speak up for fear of criticism.
Where to Find the Show
The episode, titled, A Critical Review of Australia’s Covid Response, with Kurt Mahlburg is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Radio Public and other platforms.
If you enjoy the episode, be sure to leave a rating and review, and also share this article with others.
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