The federal government on Tuesday released elaborate modelling of the coronavirus spread which was entirely theoretical and had nothing to do with Australia.

It was one of the odder moments of the public debate on Covid-19 over the past three weeks.

Straight-shooter chief medical officer Brendan Murphy was asked by a reporter Tuesday whether the modelling “indicated anything about the relative effectiveness of different measures” employed in Australia.

Murphy replied: “It doesn’t, unfortunately.”

Coronavirus crisis has had staggering impact on Australian businesses, data reveals Read more

Which opens the question of why he was there, at a press conference in Canberra with Scott Morrison, unveiling a vast range of data and projections which had no application to this country.

It is too early for the Australian experience have been modelled. There have been only about 500 cases from community contact – as opposed to those imported from other countries or cruise ships – and that isn’t a big enough tally to work on.

But the graphs and tables on display did have a purpose – although not the one they were designed for – and it wasn’t a wasted occasion as far as the government and its advisers were concerned.

It was an opportunity to quell the increasing “show us the modelling” demands. In effect the response was: You wanted modelling, you’ve got modelling, even though it is irrelevant to this country.

More importantly, it was a tactic to underline the critical urgency of Australians continuing to follow the instructions to stay home, keep washing hands, and taking other measures to limit the Covid-19 menace.

Expect over the coming few days more government pleas for Australians to maintain hygiene and social contact discipline, and to ignore the traditional Easter temptation to go travelling with the family.

It was an opportunity to reinforce the success of these measures, and rank the Australian performance as superior to that elsewhere – even if there was no modelling to substantiate the boast.

Australia's coronavirus social distancing rules explained: state by state guidelines Read more

The prime minister and his top health adviser were looking over their shoulders rather than projecting ahead. They were directing attention, for example, to the strength of our health system in contrast to the frail structures overseas.

Murphy said the national cabinet of federal and state leaders, who met Tuesday “has asked for a raft of options”, and promoted a cute analogy.

“We have put ourselves on a life raft, unlike the US and other countries that are sitting in the water,” Murphy told reporters.

“We are on a life raft. We have to chart the course of where we take that life raft.”

Morrison made a similar point with considerably less poetry.

He said the data showed “that by taking the measures that we are taking, you can make a difference”.

The prime minister said those measures were “buying time, giving us the opportunity for more choices”.