No, Australia has not peaked. Our best generation is here now | Jim Chalmers and Andrew Charlton

We need the self-belief that comes from honest appraisal, not an ad-man's optimism based on false confidence

When we started writing this piece, Brisbane was in lockdown. By the time we finished, Sydney, Victoria and South Australia were as well. Millions of Australians have already spent chunks of the last 18 months concerned for their jobs or their business, navigating the new world of remote learning and wearing the emotional strain of being cut off from the comfort of loved ones and familiar routines.

Amid all this, optimism might not seem thick on the ground.