Who Achieved Covid-19 Success? A Comparative Analysis Of The Communication Styles, Rhetoric And Crisis Response Of Three Prime Ministers And What we Can Learn From The Leadership Of Australia, Canada And New Zealand

The coronavirus crisis of 2020/21 has been the largest global crisis in living memory. By summer 2021, nearly 200,000,000 cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide and more than 4,000,000 people died (John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, 2021). The governments of Australia and New Zealand, led by Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern, implemented an early pandemic response that clearly communicated what the situation was and why it was crucial to act immediately, leading to a significantly reduced number of deaths and cases. In contrast, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was delayed in his initial response. His messaging was largely focused on offering financial support and incentives as opposed to adding context to the situation. This study aims to offer a preliminary understanding of the communication strategies and tactics that were used by the Australian and New Zealand government leaders to drastically reduce the number of COVID19 case counts and deaths in their countries.