Early in the COVID-19 crisis, Scott Morrison’s conservative government briefly tried to convince Australians to continue life as normal. We were told that shaking hands was “low risk,” that kids aren’t as likely to transmit the virus, that face masks are ineffective, and that it was safe to go to the footy. Although Morrison continues to reject the idea of elimination, he very quickly lost the arm wrestle with public opinion.

As state and territory governments established testing clinics, contact tracing and quarantine systems, and pandemic plans, the prime minister went silent. Public health came first. After that, the Commonwealth spent billions on income-support measures, including the JobSeeker supplement and the JobKeeper wage subsidy. Although we didn’t notice at the time, many aspects of the new situation were advantageous to the labor movement.

Yet workers are still at risk and under attack. As millions of Victorians strap in for the stringent, extended lockdown announced on September 6, business has escalated its campaign to exploit our fatigue. It has a COVID-era program etched out.