crikey--2020-04-16--It only took a killer virus for us to start caring about the elderly

It only took a killer virus for us to start caring about the elderly Despite a royal commission into the @ @ @ @ @ global pandemic for us to truly care about the safety and well being of aged @ @ @ @ @ So now we care about the elderly .
Now , we are prepared to take @ @ @ @ @ to prevent a virus that is primarily killing older Australians .

So now we care about the elderly. Now, we are prepared to take whatever drastic action is required to prevent a virus that is primarily killing older Australians.
Despite some on the right complaining, most people support the fact we are willing to pay such a high price to protect the vulnerable at the end of their lives.
It took a pandemic — and putting the economy into a coma — to get there, but it’s not like we didn’t have chances to look after their welfare before this.


crikey--2020-04-16--Morrison’s big communication challenge: making a virtue of the virus status quo

Scott Morrison has had to switch from communicating a message of radical change to one of status quo .
Now @ @ @ @ @ other politicians as the next stage of pandemic crisis looms .
Much of politics and @ @ @ @ @ response has centred on communication and its effectiveness .
That ’ s understandable , given @ @ @ @ @ information at a time of life-and-death crisis .

Much of politics and public debate of the pandemic response has centred on communication and its effectiveness. That’s understandable, given the public need for accurate information at a time of life-and-death crisis.
Mixed messages from politicians and health experts in particular have occupied a lot of media bandwidth, mainly in relation to schools. But there’s also been the inevitable problem of inconsistencies created by arbitrary rules around social distancing, such as the inexplicable exemption of hair dressers from the lockdown.


crikey--2020-04-16--COVID-19 treatment | How to treat coronavirus

Here are the latest recommendations on how to treat coronavirus and updates on upcoming and ongoing clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine .
There is no cure for coronavirus .
Not yet .
Best estimates put the introduction of a vaccine between 12-18 months away .
Current COVID-19 treatments are similar to treatment for influenza ( flu ) , depending on the severity of the condition .
Cases of coronavirus can be divided into five categories : Coronavirus treatment for mild to moderate cases is similar to what we would use to treat influenza ( flu ) .
How to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home : • Take fever-reducing medication when necessary • Take pain medication when necessary It is important those who are infected , even if their symptoms are minimal , self-isolate for a minimum of two weeks .
Current treatments for severe and critical cases of coronavirus vary on a case by case basis , and treatment will depend on a number of factors , such as age and health status .
COVID-19 treatments for severe and critical cases need to be carried out in a professional healthcare setting and include : • Patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Patients may need to be intubated • Patients may require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation if their lungs fail .
The World Health Organization reports there are currently 6,468 cases of coronavirus in Australia .
Researchers are working towards a vaccine for coronavirus , and yesterday , a clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine began in Melbourne and Brisbane .
Nucleus Network , a clinical research company has recruited a small sample of healthy volunteers .
They will inject the participants with a small volume of the virus to produce an immune response .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Network will reportedly be ready for release in 12-18 months .
According to the World Health Organization , there are 20 coronavirus vaccines being developed in different locations around the world .
Read : How long can coronavirus last on surfaces ?

There is no cure for coronavirus. Not yet. Best estimates put the introduction of a vaccine between 12-18 months away.
Current COVID-19 treatments are similar to treatment for influenza (flu), depending on the severity of the condition. Cases of coronavirus can be divided into five categories:
Asymptomatic Mild Moderate Severe Critical.
Coronavirus treatment
Coronavirus treatment for mild to moderate cases is similar to what we would use to treat influenza (flu).


crikey--2020-04-16--Working from home has become the new normal. What are the implications for workers?

Working from home has become the new normal .
What are the implications for workers ?
As Australians adjust to @ @ @ @ @ pandemic lockdown , experts say the increase in remote working is likely here to stay @ @ @ @ @ the world , Australians are starting to realise that working from home is not exactly @ @ @ @ @ up to be .

Like many people around the world, Australians are starting to realise that working from home is not exactly what it’s cracked up to be.
But researchers say much of the increase in working from home will likely become permanent, even after the immediate health emergency passes.
Some organisations have acknowledged the toll working from home is taking on its workforce. The Australian National University (ANU) says it will take into account the impact on families and carers, telling staff that if they can work at least 25 hours a week (pro-rata for part-time staff) this will be deemed a full working week for pay purposes.


crikey--2020-04-16--Won’t somebody think of the pokies? (And other news you may have missed)

Won ’ t somebody think of the pokies ?
( And other news you may have missed ) The gambling @ @ @ @ @ Angus Taylor is back at it again .
In another jam-packed week , here 's @ @ @ @ @ .
We 're waiting for the gambling industry to start lobbying to end lockdowns , @ @ @ @ @ movie and Angus Taylor sneaks some coal projects through .

We’re waiting for the gambling industry to start lobbying to end lockdowns, Indonesia becomes a real-life disaster movie and Angus Taylor sneaks some coal projects through.
Coal runnings
The federal government’s current focus might be dominated by the single greatest combined public health emergency and economic downturn since the Holocene began, but rest assured that many government MPs are still spending quality time pursuing their personal vendettas.
As this very column pointed out last week, MP Tim Wilson is determined to bring down industry superannuation funds (by continuing to accidentally prove how superior they are to retail ones), while Arts Minister Paul Fletcher has used the emergency to finally get rid of those pesky Australian content quotas that made it possible for this country to have an entertainment industry.


crikey--2020-04-17--Wake up, reactionaries. Your world has changed — forever

Wake up , reactionaries .
Your world has changed — forever Australia is in a war , but conservative reactionaries @ @ @ @ @ their favourite restaurants will be reopening .
Sitting in my own tower of ivory privilege @ @ @ @ @ untouched by COVID-19 .

Sitting in my own tower of ivory privilege, I am so far untouched by COVID-19.
Don’t know anyone who has caught it, let alone been killed by it. I read the horror stories of abject lonely deaths in their thousands in the hospitals of London, New York and Milan, and I’m touched in the most abstract way.
Nevertheless, despite the pretty good odds I now have (being in Australia) of getting through this pandemic personally unscathed, I don’t find myself feeling an increasingly insistent demand that my old life be returned to me at the incidental cost of a few hundred or thousand deaths, slightly brought forward.


crikey--2020-04-17--How Turnbull underestimated the ambition and stupidity of Peter Dutton

How Turnbull underestimated the ambition and stupidity of Peter Dutton Malcolm Turnbull says he failed to spot the ambitions of @ @ @ @ @ .
History might be very different if he had .
The history of Malcolm Turnbull @ @ @ @ @ been very different were it not for an extraordinary blind spot that he claims prevented @ @ @ @ @ of Peter Dutton .

The history of Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership might have been very different were it not for an extraordinary blind spot that he claims prevented him from seeing the threat of Peter Dutton.
Turnbull is, famously, a man of remarkable intelligence. In his autobiography A Bigger Picture, which includes his account of his time, and eventual downfall, as prime minister, he acknowledges an extraordinary failure of judgement around Dutton.
Dutton was the cloddish Queenslander who, during the Coalition’s time in government, blundered through the health portfolio and then repeated the underperformance in Immigration/Home Affairs — the portfolio that has emerged as by far the most incompetent and scandal-prone department in the Commonwealth.


crikey--2020-04-17--University challenge: making ends meet without international students

Australian universities have been thrown a lifeline from the government , but they will need to innovate to survive in @ @ @ @ @ might at any other time have made headlines for weeks is now little more than @ @ @ @ @ were thrown a lifeline when federal Education Minister Dan Tehan announced the government ’ s @ @ @ @ @

What might at any other time have made headlines for weeks is now little more than a sidebar. Australian universities were thrown a lifeline when federal Education Minister Dan Tehan announced the government’s higher education relief package.
It provides a financial floor for universities, a guarantee of future income under the funding formula for domestic students even if numbers drop.
It has a potentially huge future
financial impact, although a precise number is hard to calculate, as we don’t
know how student numbers will pan out.


crikey--2020-04-17--Who advises the man who advises the nation on COVID-19?

Who advises the man who advises the nation on COVID-19 ?
By this point in the coronavirus crisis , everyone @ @ @ @ @ Murphy .
But what do we know about the team behind him , saving Australia @ @ @ @ @ Health Protection Principal Committee ( AHPPC ) has been hailed by Health Minister Greg Hunt @ @ @ @ @ of medical advice to the nation ” .

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has been hailed by Health Minister Greg Hunt as the “paramount source of medical advice to the nation”.
But little is known about the committee in charge of advising chief medical officer Brendan Murphy. While it’s public knowledge the team consists of the chief health officer from each state and territory, the government has not publicly listed names of those at the table.
The Department of Health initially declined to provide names of people on the committee. The department backtracked, however, when Crikey spoke to members and sent the Department of Health a list of names, which were confirmed as correct.


crikey--2020-04-20--How independent is Australia’s health advice?

Amber has been a reporter for The Age , writer for ABC Comedy ’ s Tonightly , and creator of @ @ @ @ @ .
She was awarded the Jacoby-Walkley scholarship in 2018 , and was an Associate Producer @ @ @ @

Australia has been receiving coronavirus advice straight from the horse’s mouth. Public information and updates have often been coming from doctors, researchers and infectious disease experts instead of politicians.
Refreshing as this may be, the process is politicised. Unlike the Centre for Disease Control in the US, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) is not independent, but rather a part of the government.
Teams advising chief medical officer (CMO) Brendan Murphy and his deputies are made up of political appointments and public servants accountable to ministers. Is this a problem?


crikey--2020-04-20--Corporations are working to reshape the post-pandemic economy in their interests

Corporations are working to reshape the post-pandemic economy in their interests If progressives really want to see meaningful change in @ @ @ @ @ crisis , they need to recognise the powerful forces that will resist it .
A @ @ @ @ @ of the economic settlement that will follow the virus crisis is now underway .
There @ @ @ @ @ business interests and their political and media agents to use the crisis to renew a @ @ @ @ @ , a return to WorkChoices and deregulation , despite many commentators suggesting a new era @ @ @ @ @ unfold in the wake of COVID-19 .

A battle to shape the nature of the economic settlement that will follow the virus crisis is now underway. There’s a powerful push from business interests and their political and media agents to use the crisis to renew a push for company tax cuts, a return to WorkChoices and deregulation, despite many commentators suggesting a new era of government intervention will inevitably unfold in the wake of COVID-19.
Last week, Scott Morrison warned that the economic crisis engendered by the virus lockdown meant “the policy frameworks that we had prior to the election will need to be reconsidered”, and that meant “policy measures that are going to have to be very pro-growth, that are going to enable businesses to employ people, that will enable businesses to invest and businesses to move forward”.
Anonymous senior ministers then fleshed out that agenda: company tax cuts and an “aggressive” overhaul of industrial relations.


crikey--2020-04-19--Will coronavirus cause a recession in Australia? | The most recent forecasts

Will coronavirus cause a recession in Australia ?
We share the most recent IMF findings and forecasts .
Will the coronavirus pandemic cause a recession in Australia ?
Yes , unfortunately , coronavirus will likely cause a recession in Australia , and across the world , according to Harald Finger , IMF mission chief for Australia .
A recession is marked by a temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced .
With lockdowns still firmly in place , the widespread loss of jobs and large stimulus packages being deployed across Australia and further afield , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 could closely mirror the Great Depression .
The below chart from the IMF compares the ‘ Great Lockdown of 2020 ’ to the Global Financial Crisis of 2009 .
Unemployment , commercial slowdowns , government spending and weak consumer confidence are some of the leading factors that will reinforce a recession in Australia caused by coronavirus .
According to the Grattan Institute , Australia ’ s unemployment rate is expected to rise between 10-15 % during the coronavirus outbreak .
As a direct result of the coronavirus outbreak , 14-26 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Over 50 % of all workers in the hospitality industry may lose their livelihoods , as well as those working in the arts , education and retail sectors .
Low-income workers are twice as likely to lose their jobs in 2020 .
Women and younger people are also more likely to be affected by unemployment due to the likely industries in which they work , which may make social distancing unavoidable .
The JobKeeper wage subsidy package will need to be supplemented once again in the future due to the ongoing economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Restaurants , pubs , clubs , cinemas , gyms , casinos , nightclubs , indoor places of worship and indoor sporting venues were told to shut doors approximately four weeks ago , with the view that closures could last for six months .
The federal government has rapidly deployed additional payments for job seekers , JobKeeper wage subsidies for businesses big and small , and rent allowances since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic .
The Morrison ’ s government response to coronavirus will be worth an estimated 3.3 % of Australia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year and 6.1 % next year , according to the ABC .
According to the Morrison government , it is spending $ 7,600 per person to keep the Australian economy ticking over .
Prior to the coronavirus outbreak , consumer spending had already been slowing as a result of falling wages and the effects of the Australian bushfires .
Now with the onset of more and more uncertainty , as well as rising rates of unemployment , consumer confidence and purchasing is likely to fall further .
At this point , there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extent of what ’ s to come .
The International Monetary Fund predicts the Australian economy will shrink by 6.7 % in 2020 , due to lockdown measures that have seen a number of key industries put out of commission for the foreseeable future .
Read : Coronavirus statistics | When will the lockdown end ?

Will the coronavirus pandemic cause a recession in Australia?
Yes, unfortunately, coronavirus will likely cause a recession in Australia, and across the world, according to Harald Finger, IMF mission chief for Australia.
A recession is marked by a temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced. With lockdowns still firmly in place, the widespread loss of jobs and large stimulus packages being deployed across Australia and further afield, it is hypothesised the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 could closely mirror the Great Depression.
The below chart from the IMF compares the ‘Great Lockdown of 2020’ to the Global Financial Crisis of 2009.


crikey--2020-04-19--Taking out the trash: what’s been hidden under the cover of COVID-19?

Charlie writes chiefly about industrial relations , politics , culture and social services .
Prior to Crikey he worked in @ @ @ @ @ unions and was a researcher for RN 's the Daily Planet .
He hosted the @ @ @ @ @ radio , and is a regular guest and occasional host on Breakfasters .
He spent @ @ @ @ @ , covering the fight for Tony Abbott '' s seat .

“Never waste a good crisis”. It’s one of those quotes variously attributed to Winston Churchill and Machiavelli. But, whatever its provenance, governments around Australia seems to be taking it to heart.
COVID-19 has turned out to be an effective cover to sneak through some controversial changes. Let’s take a look at what’s happened so far.
Locking in the lopping down
At the end of March, the federal government and the Dan Andrews government in Victoria extended agreements — for a further 10 years — that exempt logging companies from adhering to federal conservation laws.


crikey--2020-04-19--Return of ‘the mum and dad investors’

Return of ‘the mum and dad investors’

Australian journalists ' favourite term is back .
This is a zombie movie with no end in sight .
Like @ @ @ @ @ journalistic grave , one of the most infuriating terms in Australian public discourse is back @ @ @ @ @ dad investors '' .

Like a zombie rising from the journalistic grave, one of the most infuriating terms in Australian public discourse is back: the “mum and dad investors”.
COVID-19 policy debates are increasingly framed in terms of their supposed impact on this fabled cohort. Journalists seeking “balance” offer a sympathetic lens on both ordinary workers and consumers, and the supposedly common procreators who own the businesses that laid them off and charge the rents they can no longer afford.
Yet, aside from being descriptively useless (isn’t Twiggy Forrest also a dad, and Gina Rinehart a mum?), the term is largely employed to lump the upper-middle class in with the rest of us by distancing them from the uber-rich.


crikey--2020-04-19--Do we have the political will to write a new social contract?

Australia needs a new social contract if it 's to emerge from this crisis in one piece , writes Wayne @ @ @ @ @ as in life , there ’ s an eternal struggle to comprehend what might have @ @ @ @ @ what was .
As this decade ends , there will be a vigorous debate about @ @ @ @ @ the Morrison government not acted as it has .

In politics, as in life, there’s an eternal struggle to comprehend what might have been when we lived through what was. As this decade ends, there will be a vigorous debate about what would have been had the Morrison government not acted as it has.
Labor’s crisis management and stimulus through 2008 and 2010 avoided a recession, but the people who lived through the period never felt the bullets Australia dodged, or understand the depth of the recession in those countries where the bullets didn’t miss.
This time, the bullet of recession will find its mark in Australia. And as a result, I believe we need a deep discussion about a new social contract for the 21st century.


crikey--2020-04-20--Coronavirus statistics | When will the lockdown end?

How long will the coronavirus lockdown last ?
It ’ s the question at the back of all our minds .
Today , Crikey presents the coronavirus statistics that may be help predict when lockdowns will be a thing of the past .
On Sunday , chief medical officer , Brendan Murphy expressed optimism that Australians will continue to flatten the curve if social distancing rules are observed , particularly this Easter weekend .
The latest coronavirus statistics may help us to answer two popular questions that we find ourselves asking this week .
• Are we actually flattening the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
While the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to grow across Australia , the rate of growth has slowed .
Here are the coronavirus statistics you need to know right now .
( These statistics will be updated on a daily basis to keep you informed . )
• There are 6,619 coronavirus cases across Australia • 4,258 people have recovered from the virus to date • The current death toll of coronavirus is 71 When will the coronavirus lockdown end ?
How long will the coronavirus lockdown last in Australia ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ back of all of our minds .
Here ’ s what we know : • The coronavirus lockdown may last for an average of 10 weeks , based on the only real example we have : Wuhan , China • To date , China is the only country that has taken hold of the rapidly rising number of COVID-19 cases in its population , with lockdown restrictions now being lifted and life reportedly returning to normal • Thirty-one provinces across China have been affected by coronavirus , with lockdowns ranging from four to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government , there is a two-part formula for predicting a potential reduction in COVID-19 cases : • On average , it takes approximately seven days to see a change in the daily number of coronavirus cases .
The seven-day period starts from day one of each individual correctly self-isolating • Those who are carrying the virus but are nonsymptomatic require an extended period of time between recognising their symptoms , to getting tested and receiving their results .
For individuals who are critically unwell , it takes approximately 11 days between diagnosis and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in coronavirus cases .
The spread of the coronavirus is slowing across Australia , and this is largely due to the travel restrictions and closure of non-essential business implemented by the federal and state governments .
An end to the lockdowns will largely depend on Australians following guidelines as put forward by medical professionals and governments .
While cases of COVID-19 may be slowing right now , there is concern around the possibility of local transmission , and public non-adherence to social distancing rules .
The latest coronavirus statistics as cited above will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they continue to lower , life may slowly return to normal and lockdown restrictions may loosen .
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says current enforcement laws are set to expire this coming June , and as it stands , he will not seek to expand them .
Health Minister Greg Hunt has reportedly said the lockdown , or some restrictions that are currently in place , could stand for at least six months .
With the majority of Australian states now in stage three lockdowns this week , it is only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as : • When will I be able to return to work ?
• When will restaurants , bars and hairdressers open once again ?
• When can I go to the supermarket without worry ?
When will Australia ’ s coronavirus lockdown end ?
At this point , the answer is not clear .
It took 10 weeks for the epicentre of the virus to reportedly recover , and that may be the number we need to use to manage our expectations .
Read : What are the symptoms of coronavirus @

Brendan Murphy has expressed optimism that Australians will continue to flatten the curve if social distancing rules are observed, particularly this Easter weekend. The latest coronavirus statistics may help us to answer two popular questions that we find ourselves asking this week.
Are we actually flattening the curve? When will coronavirus lockdown end?
Are we flattening the curve?
While the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to grow across Australia, the rate of growth has slowed.
Here are the coronavirus statistics you need to know right now. (These statistics will be updated on a daily basis to keep you informed.)


crikey--2020-04-20--Leaks upon leaks: how the Libs ‘gleefully’ shared Turnbull’s book

The publishers of Malcolm Turnbull 's new book are calling on police to investigate who was responsible for it leaking early .
It ’ s not exactly the “ Team Australia ” moment Scott Morrison has been calling for : his adviser , Nick Louw , has admitted to distributing a pirated copy of Malcolm Turnbull ’ s unpublished book , A Bigger Picture , over the weekend .
Leaks against a former enemy is old-school politics at its finest , but it ’ s not really helpful in the middle of a crisis .
With legal action threatened , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to investigate further , the hunt for more leakers will no doubt continue .
So how did someone in Scott Morrison ’ s office get a hold of the book , and who did he send it to ?
Turnbull ’ s book was due to be published today , with exclusive write-ups being promised to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age over the weekend .
But The Australian national affairs editor , Simon Benson , got his hands on a copy last week , scooping the Nine papers .
Now Barnaby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buying a copy because there are so many floating around .
Like a lot of publishers , Hardie Grant turns many of its books into ebooks .
It believes a copy of the ebook was “ hacked ” either from its own systems or its ebook supplier , and then made available online .
“ From that , the Liberal party team decided it was fun to distribute to as many people as they could , ” Sandy Grant , CEO of Hardie Grant , told Inq .
Grant said he was looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website like Library Genesis , which boasts pirated versions of academic texts for free , often in breach of copyright .
“ Someones hacked in and got the ebook either from our system or their system and made it available on one of these illegal websites , ” he said .
It didn ’ t take long for the illegal copies to get back to Turnbull .
On Saturday , Hardie Grant became aware that Nick Louw , an adviser to Scott Morrison , had distributed a copy of the book .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people via a WhatsApp chat along with the message : “ I ’ ve sent this to a million people , go for it , ha ha ” .
But the publisher says it believes there were multiple people inside the Liberal party distributing pirated digital copies .
“ They were gleefully sending it around and encouraging people to send it to others , ” Grant said .
Some ministers and journalists received multiple copies of the book .
“ We know [ Liberal MP ] Tim Wilson got five copies , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affairs Minister Marise Payne admitted she had received a pirated copy of the book from someone outside of the Prime Minister ’ s Office , but would not say from whom .
“ I ’ ve received and deleted , ” she told the ABC ’ s Insiders .
Nic Pullen , lawyer for Hardie Grant and Turnbull , would not say who else it believed was responsible for distributing the book .
“ We ’ re still looking into it in relation to who has been sending it , ” Pullen told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in it was a full file — the whole book.
” Pullen , on behalf of Turnbull and Hardie Grant , wrote to Louw on Sunday instructing him that he was responsible for the “ unauthorised distribution ” of the book in digital form .
Turnbull has told The Guardian Louw acknowledged he circulated a digital version of the book to 59 people .
Grant says the publisher wants police to investigate who else was responsible .
He criticised the government for not taking a stand against copyright theft .
“ When senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t tell you where I got it from ’ , why not ?
Don ’ t you abhor breach of copyright ?
” he said .

It’s not exactly the “Team Australia” moment Scott Morrison has been calling for: his adviser, Nick Louw, has admitted to distributing a pirated copy of Malcolm Turnbull’s unpublished book, A Bigger Picture, over the weekend.
Leaks against a former enemy is old-school politics at its finest, but it’s not really helpful in the middle of a crisis. With legal action threatened, and the Australian Federal Police called upon to investigate further, the hunt for more leakers will no doubt continue.
So how did someone in Scott Morrison’s office get a hold of the book, and who did he send it to?


crikey--2020-04-20--Government discovers the downside of pursuing a police state

When the man who used to be deputy PM tells you not to trust the government , it pays to @ @ @ @ @ a while , perhaps every decade , it pays to listen to Barnaby Joyce .

Once in a while, perhaps every decade, it pays to listen to Barnaby Joyce.
Until 2018, Joyce was a senior minister of the government, and deputy prime minister for two years. He thus was present, either as a senior figure or in a leadership position, as the Abbott and Turnbull governments undertook major steps toward a police state in Australia.
The establishment of a mass surveillance “data retention” program, successive tranches of counter-terrorism laws that went significantly further than the draconian impositions of the Howard era, police pursuit of whistleblowers who exposed misconduct by government bureaucracies, the creation of a Home Affairs portfolio, attacks on encryption, the use of personal information to smear critics, and police raids on opposition politicians and staff.


crikey--2020-04-20--The virus could well be a stage in human history rather than a one-off crisis

We need to stop pretending this virus is a once-in-a-lifetime event , writes Guy Rundle .
Governments start to talk about being able to lift some restrictions in the weeks ahead , and we all breathe a sigh of relief .
Not merely for the possibility that work may start up again for some of those laid-off , that a wider range of shops might open , that at some point we might be able to sit in a cafe for 10 minutes — but also , in Australia , because we are approaching it from a place of less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system which never became overloaded , and a government which , though it has used this crisis for political advantage , has at least responded rationally to the threat .
I was in the US as the lockdowns began across the world , and as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson strutted across the stage , blowing their populist thought-bubbles , releasing the bats from right-wing wonks ’ belfries , and the feeling was alarming .
So I ’ m grateful that , for the moment , we have a rational government , whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m not going to gush over it , like some on the left have , because it ’ s obvious that the crisis is also being used for a political-culture war .
But praising the basic rationality of the government ( much of which , I have no doubt , is the product of Labor premiers in the national cabinet locking in Morrison , as the Attlee and the Labour members of Britain ’ s wartime national government locked in Churchill during WWII ) is simply a prelude to the question we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come out of this crisis that will lay solid foundations for a system ready for the next crisis ?
The corporate and ideological right want to construct this as a once-in-a-century event , you know , like the once-in-a-century fires we ’ re getting every five years , or the once-in-a-century drying up of eastern Australia ’ s major river system that we ’ re told to get used to .
The latest signups to this dingbat death-squad are Pru Goward and , of course , Elizabeth Farrelly ( rule-proving exception to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all right wingers are death-cult capitalists , but all of the latter are from the right ) .
They ’ re not only in denial about the dilemma we face in reviving full social life ; they , and many others , are in denial about what this virus portends and what may come next .
After all , COVID-19 isn ’ t anything new , as the virus ’ full name — SARS-CoV-2 — makes clear .
Perhaps calling it SARS-COVID-19 would have been better to establish continuity with the SARS outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have had two flu outbreaks , an ebola outbreak , and another coronavirus MERS ( Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome ) .
The circulation of coronavirus roughly coincides with globalisation going to a new level in 2001 , when China joined the WTO , and India abandoned the last vestiges of nationalist economic and social policy , and went for full neoliberalisation .
Globalisation , in the developing world , had been a preserve of a tiny elite , travelling , doing business , etc .
Now it began to reach into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into an Africa emerged from Cold War dominance by client dictators .
The world was now really on the move .
Remember how weird the idea of Chinese international students was ?
And then Chinese tourists ?
How Beijing , Shanghai , Guangzhou , were suddenly a destination for corporate careerists in the way only Hong Kong had been ?
First-stage neoliberalism — the ’ 80s and ’ 90s — hadn ’ t been a real globalisation at all .
Now it was here .
Now it is here and part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exponentially widened field of mutation and recombination to develop in .
It ’ s a measure of how frightening this is that large sections of the elite are regressing to the mythical and childish act of finding concrete baddies to blame for the trashing of our lovely lives .
“ If only China had… ” “ If only the WHO had… ” Magical solutions are proposed : “ Let ’ s close down the wet markets !
” people say , without bothering to find out what a wet market is .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” — ignoring that MERS , a far more lethal coronavirus , emerged from the Middle East , and was briefly called “ camel flu ” or “ camel virus ” , because bats had transferred it to camels .
Bats , the epidemiologists tell us , are sources of such viruses because they have very strong immune systems , so viruses develop in a super-efficient manner to get around them .
A nasty cold for a bat is lethal to us .
This has presumably been occurring for centuries or longer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large sections of humanity .
Which means humanity has a dilemma for which there is no easy solution — especially not the bumper-sticker slogan “ herd immunity ” which the death-cult dingbats like to ‘ eave about .
Not only is there strong evidence that SARS-COVID-19 can reinfect those whom it has passed through once or more , there is the possibility of the global virus — what is really a singular organism , now omnipresent — developing until it hits on a new combination of effects .
The lethality of a virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread .
Ebola uses only body fluids , so it turns the body into a rotating sprinkler of everything inside of them , until the sufferer dies , having soaked someone else in blood , vomit or shit along the way .
There ’ s an obvious trade-off between infectiousness and lethality , as the common cold ( rhinovirus ) demonstrates .
But what if coronavirus hits on a modified mechanism of spread — say , a form of coughing so unstoppable and so projective that sufferers ’ lungs break apart faster than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a 3 % , 5 % mortality rate and did not spare children ?
At that point , it should be obvious that the modified form of everyday life we have now — even in lockdown , a lot of us probably circulate more than a lot of women and older people did in the 1950s and before — could not continue .
The distribution of food and other essentials would have to be managed by the state to minimise risk , health care would have to be brutally and cruelly triaged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subject , effectively , to military control .
As a society we need to have a plan for that , and to regard SARS-COVID-19 as a prelude and rehearsal to a viral event that would mark a categorical historical change in human life .
Should the state be unwilling to do this , out of the deep denial that still permeates a state devoted to the preservation of capitalism at all costs , then a coalition of public epidemiologists , economists , political scientists and disaster experts should form , create such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only responsible act , for those who believe that the “ human project ” is worth continuing , is to make such a plan , with a clear-eyed view of nature ’ s indifference to our desires .
The world is a beautiful place and worth fighting for , to quote Papa Hemingway , but the fight you face is never the one you thought it would be .
Yes , we should look to the possibility — and no more — of some very gradual , very limited and very reflexive opening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if such a measure does not serve as a host-body for the hubris of imagining that this viral event is an exceptional historical moment .
It may simply be that “ the viral ” is an inevitable stage of history for any mammalian species that develops a mobility beyond its pre-cultural evolved habitats .
We need to recognise the potential epochal character : the moment when we lose our aeons-long status as this planet ’ s apex predator , and must learn the caution and humility that guarantees the survival of all the @ @ @ @ @

Governments start to talk about being able to lift some restrictions in the weeks ahead, and we all breathe a sigh of relief. Not merely for the possibility that work may start up again for some of those laid-off, that a wider range of shops might open, that at some point we might be able to sit in a cafe for 10 minutes — but also, in Australia, because we are approaching it from a place of less than a hundred deaths, a hospital system which never became overloaded, and a government which, though it has used this crisis for political advantage, has at least responded rationally to the threat.
I was in the US as the lockdowns began across the world, and as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson strutted across the stage, blowing their populist thought-bubbles, releasing the bats from right-wing wonks’ belfries, and the feeling was alarming.
So I’m grateful that, for the moment, we have a rational government, whatever its political stripe, though I’m not going to gush over it, like some on the left have, because it’s obvious that the crisis is also being used for a political-culture war.


crikey--2020-04-20--Corporations are working to mould the post-pandemic economy in their interests

Corporations are working to mould the post-pandemic economy in their interests If progressives really want to see meaningful change in @ @ @ @ @ crisis , they need to recognise the powerful forces that will resist it .
A @ @ @ @ @ of the economic settlement that will follow the virus crisis is now underway .
There @ @ @ @ @ business interests and their political and media agents to use the crisis to renew a @ @ @ @ @ , a return to WorkChoices and deregulation , despite many commentators suggesting a new era @ @ @ @ @ unfold in the wake of COVID-19 .


crikey--2020-04-21--The national cabinet’s rules, processes and information are shrouded in secrecy

The newly-formed national cabinet may become a permanent fixture of Australian politics, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last week, as he praised the cabinet’s speedy response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Made up of state and territory premiers and chief ministers, the national cabinet is essentially the Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) with two key differences: the national cabinet meets far more frequently and documents remain secret for up to 30 years.
While the national cabinet has been praised for cutting through bureaucracy and red tape, experts have expressed concerns the cabinet hinders Australia’s democratic process — especially with no sitting parliament to scrutinise its decisions.


crikey--2020-04-21--Ruby Princess probe fast-tracked as other inquiries slip into the slow lane

Already, there has been an inquiry announced as a result of coronavirus — in this case in response to the Ruby Princess fiasco. Barrister Bret Walker will be given “extraordinary powers” to investigate all matters and agencies related to the ship.
But elsewhere, the inquiry bandwagon into other pressing national matters has been slowed, or entirely halted. Here is an update.
Bushfires
The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements began last Thursday and, due to complications in information gathering thanks to the coronavirus, has extended its submission date by two weeks until April 28. It’s already received over 400 submissions, and many are calling for the deadline to be extended further.


crikey--2020-04-20--Morrison needs to tap into his past and stop the planes before it’s too late

Adam Schwab is a commentator , business director , and the co-founder of LuxuryEscapes.com .
He is also the author @ @ @ @ @ : Lessons from Australia ’ s Decade of Corporate Greed .

#StopThePlanes
For a government that has spent the past two decades appeasing its base and “stopping the boats”, the Morrison government’s willingness to allow virus-ridden Australians back in the country seems out of character.
This column has been a strident advocate of squashing the curve. The corollary to that was opening up the economy as soon as possible (the harder the lockdown, the quicker the opening).
Four weeks of hard lockdown would allow the domestic economy to start returning to some state of normal far quicker than half measures (this is better both for businesses and lives).


crikey--2020-04-20--Enough is enough: the saga of the Biloela Four must end

Enough is enough : the saga of the Biloela Four must end There is no conscience in our treatment of @ @ @ @ @ passionless , gruesome officiousness , grinding them to dust in the name of the rule @ @ @ @ @ bad .
Asylum seekers Priya and Nades and their Australian-born daughters , Kopika and Tharunicaa @ @ @ @ @ ) The Biloela Four have another reprieve , courtesy of a judgment by Federal Court @ @ @ @ @ Their Christmas Island exile will continue for a while more , as the next chapter @ @ @ @ @ in Australia unfolds .
It ’ s a timely moment to reflect on their journey @ @ @ @ @ , courts and consciousness so far .

The Biloela Four have another reprieve, courtesy of a judgment by Federal Court Justice Moshinsky last Friday. Their Christmas Island exile will continue for a while more, as the next chapter in their fight to remain in Australia unfolds. It’s a timely moment to reflect on their journey through Australia’s bureaucracy, courts and consciousness so far.
Their name, in case it be forgotten, is not Biloela. Nades and Priya Murugappan arrived in Australian waters, separately, in 2012 and 2013. They came by boat from Sri Lanka, and claimed asylum on arrival. Their claim to refugee status is based on the fear of persecution were they to be returned to Sri Lanka, as a consequence of the former civil war there.
They were given bridging visas as their claims were processed, and settled into life in the central Queensland town of Biloela. Their daughters, Kopika and Tharunicaa, were born in Australia. All was peaceful until March 2018, when the Border Force (ABF) turned up at their home and forcibly removed them to Broadmeadows detention centre in Melbourne.


crikey--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Part-time employee rights

Coronavirus: Part-time employee rights

Wondering what your rights are as a part-time employee during the coronavirus outbreak ?
In this piece , we outline some of the key factors to keep in mind when it comes to navigating working during what we have to come as the new normal .
Today we want to share the latest on your rights as a part-time employee during the coronavirus pandemic .
In our last feature , we spoke about full-time employee rights and what to expect if you are a full-time employee .
Part-time employees are described as those who work less than 38 hours per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a permanent or full-time contract and work the same hours each week .
Part-time employees are entitled to most of the same rights as full-time employees .
What are your rights as a part-time Australian employee during the coronavirus pandemic ?
• Part-time employees can not be discriminated against if they are unwell and can not face termination if they need to take time off work for the purpose of self-isolation • Part-time employees can work from home if an agreement is made between employer and employee .
The Fair Work Ombudsman encourages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enterprise agreements , awards , employment contracts and/or workplace policies • Part-time employees are entitled to fair minimum notice periods as per their contract , as well as pay to cover notice periods and holiday days • Part-time employees are entitled to a fair discussion with their employer in regards to directed annual leave by cause of coronavirus .
Some employers can require employees to take paid annual leave without an agreement .
Check the relevant award or enterprise agreement to better understand your rights when it comes to directed annual leave • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days notice should their employer wish to change their duties or responsibilities .
This notification should be submitted to the employee by the employer in writing unless both parties have agreed to a shorter notice period • Part-time employees are entitled to a safe working environment that prioritises their wellbeing .
Your employer may have the right to change your hours , location or duties without consultation , so make sure you read your contract , and aim to engage in open , honest conversations with your employer so you know what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was amended on April 9 , 2020 to support the implementation of the federal government ’ s JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme .
The purpose of the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme is to support both employers and employees who have been significantly affected by the pandemic .
Part-time employees are eligible to receive JobKeeper payments , however , both the employer and employee must meet certain criteria .
Businesses and not-for-profits with turnovers of less than $ 1 billion a year and a 30 % loss in revenue are eligible for JobKeeper payments .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 1 billion a year and a 50 % loss in revenue are also eligible for the scheme .
Part-time employees who have been employed for 12 months with a permanent employer are eligible to receive the JobKeeper payment .
Part-time employees who were made redundant after March 1 , 2020 , will be eligible for the JobKeeper payment provided their previous employer is willing to re-hire them .
Part-time employees who maintain the same hours will receive the same payment as full-time employees , $ 1,500 per fortnight .
Under the JobKeeper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Ask employees to change their hours and days of work • Ask employees to change their duties and responsibilities Read : Will coronavirus cause a recession in Australia ?
| The most recent forecasts

Today we want to share the latest on your rights as a part-time employee during the coronavirus pandemic.
In our last feature, we spoke about full-time employee rights and what to expect if you are a full-time employee.
Part-time employees are described as those who work less than 38 hours per week. Part-time employees are usually on a permanent or full-time contract and work the same hours each week.


crikey--2020-04-21--Coronavirus: Full-time employee rights

Coronavirus: Full-time employee rights

What are your rights as a full-time employee during the coronavirus outbreak ?
We talk you through your entitlements , as well the criteria you need to meet to receive the JobKeeper payments .
What are your rights as a full-time employee during the coronavirus outbreak ?
There may be lots of panic and confusion at this time when it comes to work .
Maybe you feel that your employment is at risk , or perhaps you are worried about navigating working from home .
Workplace entitlements and obligations across the globe are being affected by the pandemic .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand how you may be affected .
Full-time workers are those who are described as a permanent employee or are on a fixed-term contract .
A full-time employee generally works 38 hours or more per week .
What are your rights as a full-time employee in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic ?
• Full-time employees can not be discriminated against because they are ill , with coronavirus or otherwise .
For example , employees can not have their contracts terminated due to having to take time off work because they have contracted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right to work from home .
This is at the employer ’ s discretion , however , if an employer has unreasonably refused you right to work at home , it may be seen as a breach to implied trust and confidence • Full-time employees are entitled to required notice periods and remaining remuneration built up from holidays , should both employee and employer agree to transfer full-time employment to part-time or casual employment • Full-time employees are entitled to receive a notification of changes to their duties in writing three days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agree to a shorter notice period • Full-time employees are entitled to a safe working environment that prioritises their wellbeing .
Depending on your contract , employers may be able to change aspects of your role at their discretion , such as reducing your hours or enforcing annual leave .
You should re-read your contract now to avoid confusion later .
The Fair Work Ombudsman encourages employers and employees to work together to find the most equally beneficial and workable dynamic for their specific needs .
On April 9 , 2020 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the implementation of the federal government ’ s JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme .
The purpose of the JobKeeper package is to support businesses that have been significantly affected by COVID-19 and to keep the public in employment .
In order to receive the JobKeeper payment , both employer and employee must be eligible .
If your employer successfully claims the JobKeeper payment on your behalf , you will receive $ 1,500 ( before tax ) each fortnight .
Full-time employees who have been employed for more than 12 months since before March 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ payments .
You can only be nominated for this payment by a permanent employer and if you are an Australian citizen or have a special category visa , such as the 444 visa held by many New Zealanders in Australia .
Additional criteria to receive the JobKeeper payments include being over the age of 16 , and if the individual has a partner , they must make less than $ 79,762 per year .
Under the JobKeeper scheme , employers are entitled to : • Ask employees to take annual leave in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days and time of duties .
According to the Fair Work Act , a qualifying employer can direct the eligible employee to perform any duties that are within their skill and competency so long as : • The duties are safe , including having regard to the nature and spread of coronavirus • The employee has any required licenses and/or qualifications to perform the duties • The duties are reasonably within the scope of the employer ’ s business operations .

What are your rights as a full-time employee during the coronavirus outbreak?
There may be lots of panic and confusion at this time when it comes to work. Maybe you feel that your employment is at risk, or perhaps you are worried about navigating working from home.
Workplace entitlements and obligations across the globe are being affected by the pandemic. It’s important at this time to understand how you may be affected.


crikey--2020-04-21--Turnbull speaks truth to power in Australia from the safety of the back seats

If you use inducements or threats to manipulate a political process or public debate then we will unleash the full @ @ @ @ @ and defend our values and democratic institutions ... foreign actors who would do us harm @ @ @ @ @ we will not tolerate covert , coercive or corrupting behaviour in our country .

Keep reading about Malcolm Turnbull's selective memory of his time in politics...
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crikey--2020-04-21--‘Rational’ Malcolm gets let off lightly — unlike the subjects of his book

‘ Rational ’ Malcolm gets let off lightly — unlike the subjects of his book Such a compelling figure as @ @ @ @ @ interview than the one he got from Leigh Sales on 7:30 on Monday night .
@ @ @ @ @ like his prime ministership : eagerly anticipated , promising greatness , instantly polarising , but @ @ @ @ @ wiping away an unsatisfying taste .
This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute @ @ @ @ @

It was an interview much like his prime ministership: eagerly anticipated, promising greatness, instantly polarising, but one that ultimately left us wiping away an unsatisfying taste.
Not that the revelations 7.30 host Leigh Sales extracted from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull weren’t surprising and significant.
The pair’s long history has been something of a mutual admiration society. Sales told Julia Zemiro on Home Delivery that “Malcolm Turnbull has got a lovely voice”, while Niki Savva’s book The Road to Ruin contained the revelation that Turnbull thought Sales was “one of the most beautiful women on television”.


crikey--2020-04-21--South Korea charts Australia’s road out of lockdown

Before joining Crikey in 2018 , Kishor was an editor of the University of Sydney ’ s student paper Honi @ @ @ @ @ The Sydney Morning Herald on the state news beat , a casual legal reporter for @ @ @ @ @ Law and Journalism , and a research assistant at the Australian Human Rights Commission .
@ @ @ @ @ he is completing a law degree at the University of Sydney .
Kishor will be @ @ @ @ @ immigration , race and religion .

So, where to now for Australia?
Our COVID-19 epidemic curve appears to have turned a corner, with daily new infections remaining low since before Easter — an early sign we may have avoided the devastation seen in Europe and the United States.
The road back to normal will likely be slow and littered with speed bumps, but to get a clearer picture it’s worth looking to other countries further down for guidance.


crikey--2020-04-21--Here’s how Australian manufacturing could be revived by the pandemic

Here ’ s how Australian manufacturing could be revived by the pandemic The monumental shifts of the COVID-19 pandemic are @ @ @ @ @ among them the possible revival of Australian manufacturing .
If your business is building sets @ @ @ @ @ , what do you do when suddenly all events are cancelled because of COVID-19 ?

If your business is building sets and stages for outdoor events, what do you do when suddenly all events are cancelled because of COVID-19?
If you are the Australian manufacturer Stagekings, you get advice from a mate in Ireland and start building desks instead.
Nick Martin from Stagekings says since the company turned to manufacturing working-from-home desks its full-time staff has grown from pre-COVID-19 numbers. Today it employs 52 people: about 20 in its Kurnell warehouse and others working from home or doing deliveries.


crikey--2020-04-21--Who are Australia’s essential workers? Short answer: women

New figures show that women are shouldering most of the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis .
For decades women @ @ @ @ @ in the workforce .
Now they are emerging as Australia 's most essential workers .

For decades women have fought to be equals in the workforce. Now they are emerging as Australia’s most essential workers.
But as new job figures show, they might also be shouldering most of the economic fallout.
Women are on the frontline in the war against coronavirus: fitting ventilators in hospitals, educating vulnerable children and helping stack supermarket shelves.


crikey--2020-04-22--Coronavirus: Casual employee rights and entitlements

Wondering what your rights are as a casual employee ?
Here we outline your rights and entitlements as a casual employee during the coronavirus pandemic .
Our journalism usually sits behind a paywall , but we believe this is the time to make more of our content freely available to as many readers as possible .
For more free coverage , sign up to COVID-19 Watch What are casual employee rights and entitlements during the pandemic ?
A casual employee is defined as a worker who doesn ’ t have guaranteed work ; doesn ’ t receive payment for annual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employment without notice , unless specified in their contract ; and generally works irregular hours .
Casual employee entitlements : What are casual employees entitled to during the coronavirus outbreak ?
• Casual employees are entitled to the JobKeeper payment if they have been regularly employed with the same employer for a 12-month period prior to March 1 , 2020 • Casual empowers are still entitled to turn down shifts and take unpaid leave from work • Casual employees are entitled to a higher rate of pay than full-time or part-time employees .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Casual employees receive a higher rate of pay because they do not receive benefits such as paid annual leave or sick leave • Casual employees are entitled to two days of paid carers leave , or two days of paid compassionate leave per 12 month period • Casual employees are entitled to five days family and domestic leave per 12 month period Casual employee rights and entitlements change slightly after a 12-month period .
After 12 months of regular employment with one employer , a casual worker can apply for flexible working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a casual employee is still not entitled to a notice period should their contract be terminated , not or they entitled to paid leave .
While it is widely reported that casual employees still have the same rights and entitlements as they did prior to the coronavirus outbreak , there are obvious elements that will make work for casual employers more difficult .
For instance : • If a casual employee is sick with COVID-19 or otherwise and is unable to work , they will not receive payment for this time off • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force costs , casual employees may be in a vulnerable position via reduced hours or a termination of their contract .
It has been reported that over 700,000 Australians lost their jobs in the first week of April .
If you are a casual employee and you are unsure of your rights and entitlements , you should speak with your employer and ask them if you are eligible for the JobKeeper payment .
If your hours have been reduced , or if you have lost work altogether and you are not eligible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the JobSeeker payment , which pays $ 565.70 per fortnight .
It is a very stressful and frustrating time for most casual employees , however , it is also important to understand your employer ’ s entitlements moving forward , and these rights may vary from company to company : • Employers have the right to terminate your contract with one hour notice if you have been working for them for less than 12 months • Employers have the right to not offer you the same regular hours you may have been receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the right to enforce contract guidelines as stated in your contract , unless your contract has been changed and these changes have been agreed by both parties .
Read : Will coronavirus cause a recession in Australia ?
| The most recent forecasts

What are casual employee rights and entitlements during the pandemic?
A casual employee is defined as a worker who doesn’t have guaranteed work; doesn’t receive payment for annual or sick leave; can end their employment without notice, unless specified in their contract; and generally works irregular hours.
Casual employee entitlements: What are casual employees entitled to during the coronavirus outbreak?


crikey--2020-04-22--Independent schools hit hard by unintended outcome of coronavirus rescue

Many schools are stuck in a gap that makes them ineligible for the government 's rescue package as the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ government continues to battle with states over whether schools should open , and if so @ @ @ @ @ children attend , a disparity has arisen which threatens Catholic and independent schools and their @ @

As the Morrison government continues to battle with states over whether schools should open, and if so whether Australians should let their children attend, a disparity has arisen which threatens Catholic and independent schools and their students.
Years of pushing choice in kindergarten to year 12 education, especially by conservative governments, has meant growth in both the Catholic school system — increasingly used by non-Catholics — and the independent sector.
The Catholic system makes up about 18% of the K-12 school population, and independent schools 15%.


crikey--2020-04-22--JobSeeker payments | Are you eligible and what can you claim?

Wondering if you 're eligible for JobSeeker payment during the coronavirus outbreak ?
We outline the key criteria necessary to claim , as well as the steps you should be taking if your hours have been reduced or you have lost your job .
The JobSeeker payment does exactly what it says on the tin : it offers payment to those who are seeking work .
It is also for those who are sick or injured and need to take some time out from work .
Are you eligible for the JobSeeker payments during the coronavirus outbreak ?
You are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Your hours have been reduced • Your contract has been terminated .
You are also eligible for the payment if you fall under these categories : To be eligible to receive the payment you need to be between the age of 22 and pension age , meet residence rules and pass the income test .
Those who are seeking payment will need to prove that they are looking for work or that they are sick and/or injured .
If you are in part-time or casual employment and you are unsure whether you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ JobSeeker payment , you should first check with your employer to see if you are eligible for the JobKeeper payment .
If you are in part-time or casual employment , but you are not eligible for the JobKeeper payment , you can apply for the JobSeeker payment , but how much you get paid may be affected by your income .
If you make over $ 104 per fortnight , your payment may be reduced .
Centrelink offers a tool to check your eligibility for the payment .
How much is the JobSeeker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maximum fortnightly JobSeeker payment .
If your income reaches a certain limit , your payment will reduce to zero .
This is important to bear in mind .
Read : Will coronavirus cause a recession in Australia ?
| The most recent forecasts

The JobSeeker payment does exactly what it says on the tin: it offers payment to those who are seeking work. It is also for those who are sick or injured and need to take some time out from work.
Are you eligible for the JobSeeker payments during the coronavirus outbreak?
You are eligible for the JobSeeker payment if:
Your hours have been reduced
Your contract has been terminated.
You are also eligible for the payment if you fall under these categories:


crikey--2020-04-22--‘People break down in front of you because it’s so tough’

‘ People break down in front of you because it ’ s so tough ’ It 's one thing to @ @ @ @ @ you , and another to not spend time with them beforehand , writes funeral director @ @ @ @ @ is managing director at Ern Jensen Funerals and national president of the Australian Funeral Directors @ @ @ @ @ an edited transcript of his interview with Crikey ’ s Charlie Lewis .

Andrew Pinder is managing director at Ern Jensen Funerals and national president of the Australian Funeral Directors Association. The following is an edited transcript of his interview with Crikey’s Charlie Lewis.
We start the day by sanitising and sterilising everything. Every door handle, every surface that can be touched, all access points to our chapel. All our mortuary equipment. It was always important, obviously, but now it’s crucial that we’re pristine.
In the past few days I’ve spoken to two widows who had not been able to see their husbands towards the end. One’s husband was in an aged-care facility — he had dementia. The facility had been in lockdown and she hadn’t seen him for his last six weeks.


crikey--2020-04-23--Treasurer recycles News Corp’s Google attack. Will it help him? Just ask Malcolm

News Corp falsely claims tech giants like Google steal content from it .
And now Josh Frydenberg has endorsed its lies .
Earlier this week , Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher got up and struck a blow for foreign multinational News Corp in its ongoing war with the tech giants that have used innovation and the internet to wreck the Murdochs ’ media business model .
The big tech companies are deeply unpopular , usually with good reason .
But the government has recycled demonstrable lies peddled by News Corp about how it is being robbed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of helping prop up News Corp ’ s failing Australian media businesses .
News Corp charges that when Google ( mostly ) and Facebook use its headlines and automatically generated “ snippets ” of News Corp stories on their sites , they are stealing content , and should be made to pay for it via a licence fee that will “ reflect the financial benefit digital platforms derive from using snippets ” .
It also complains that longer “ snippets ” deter people from clicking through the attached link to the original story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s displayed .
Except the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ’ s ( ACCC ) digital platforms inquiry found that News Corp ’ s claims don ’ t stack up .
Headlines and snippets aren ’ t theft of content : “ generally , digital platforms ’ use of article headlines is unlikely to infringe copyright protections in Australia , ” the ACCC noted .
“ Digital platforms reproducing a snippet of a copyright-protected news article does not infringe copyright protections if the snippet does not reproduce a substantial part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the tech companies , media organisations and consumers all benefit from the use of snippets .
Specifically , “ media businesses benefit because a snippet provides context and an indication to the user of the value of that content , increasing the likelihood of consumers clicking through ” .
Real-world evidence backed this up .
“ As a result of a German copyright law requiring Google to pay fees to publish snippets from news media websites , Google stopped showing snippets from [ media company Axel Springer ’ s ] news articles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of snippets led to a nearly 40 % decline in referral traffic from Google Search and an almost 80 % decline in referral traffic from the Google News user interface ” .
The ACCC also “ does not agree that longer snippet lengths necessarily have a negative effect on referral traffic , with users remaining on an aggregator or search platform rather than clicking through to a news media business ’ s website ” .
As a result , it did not recommend that a mandatory licence fee be imposed .
Where it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have little bargaining power with Google et al when it comes to the length and composition of snippets .
They can block Google from automatically generating snippets , but beyond being able to “ opt out ” , they have no way of managing them , or maximising click-through .
The ACCC thus proposed the industry-led development of a code of conduct to be agreed between media and tech companies to address this “ imbalance of power ” and enable media companies to get access to data and negotiate more effectively with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ code of conduct might also cover how revenue is shared “ where the digital platform obtains value , directly or indirectly , from content produced by news media ” .
How much value do digital platforms obtain from news content ?
Google doesn ’ t show any ads on its news feed , and “ does not generally sell advertising opportunities next to search queries that are considered by Google as having a ‘ news intent ’ ” .
In other countries where it has been ordered to pay fees , it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do so for free .
In Spain , it shut down Google News .
Interestingly , the result in Spain — and one echoed elsewhere — was that smaller media sites lost a large volume of traffic while major media sites suffered relatively little loss .
It would be to News Corp ’ s considerable advantage if that same result eventuated in Australia , with smaller competitors in an already marginal economic environment suffering a major loss in traffic .
None of these facts stopped Frydenberg and Fletcher , who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of conduct on the tech companies , backed by legislation , that would “ get payment for original journalistic content ” .
The word “ content ” was used repeatedly .
Fletcher referred to “ businesses acquiring content from another without the opportunity for a fair discussion about what they pay for it ” .
“ The ACCC ” , Frydenberg said , “ is going to be looking at the method by which the payment for content would occur.
” The tech companies of course are not using any “ content ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not considered content under copyright law .
And in defiance of the evidence from the ACCC , Frydenberg reiterated News Corp ’ s claims that it “ is very lucrative for the tech titans to use the original content on their website ” , when they do no such thing .
No one , and certainly no one in the mainstream media , called out the bizarre situation of the Treasurer publicly reiterating claims by a foreign multinational that one of the country ’ s key economic regulators — one in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly and at length discredited .
Nor did anyone note that one possibility as a result of Frydenberg ’ s action is that News Corp ’ s smaller , locally owned competitors suffer a massive hit on top of what the government has created with its lockdown restrictions .
Liberal politicians eager to hand wins to the foreign-owned News Corp are nothing new .
Perhaps Frydenberg thinks that in aligning himself with News Corp , its editors and executives will promote him as a putative successor to Scott Morrison .
In which case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fate of Malcolm Turnbull .
Turnbull as prime minister amended the media ownership laws to help News Corp , and slashed funding to its enemy the ABC .
And all he got from the Murdochs was an extended effort to overthrow him .

Earlier this week, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher got up and struck a blow for foreign multinational News Corp in its ongoing war with the tech giants that have used innovation and the internet to wreck the Murdochs’ media business model.
The big tech companies are deeply unpopular, usually with good reason. But the government has recycled demonstrable lies peddled by News Corp about how it is being robbed by Google and Facebook, with the aim of helping prop up News Corp’s failing Australian media businesses.
News Corp charges that when Google (mostly) and Facebook use its headlines and automatically generated “snippets” of News Corp stories on their sites, they are stealing content, and should be made to pay for it via a licence fee that will “reflect the financial benefit digital platforms derive from using snippets”.


crikey--2020-04-23--As the pandemic eases, the political fault lines are as bad as ever

Scott Morrison wants this to be his Team Australia moment, a country brought together in its fight against COVID-19.
And in some ways, Australians have been all in this together. We’ve managed to turn down our infection curve in a way that’s surprised even top medical advisers.


crikey--2020-04-23--Angus Taylor can’t resist a deal, even amid a global pandemic

As the bottom falls out of the global economy , Australia 's energy minister , ever the entrepreneur , has seen an opportunity .
You ’ ve got to hand it to Angus Taylor .
Even in the midst of a global pandemic , he ’ s managed to land a deal .
The energy minister wants the government to take advantage of the collapse in oil prices by spending $ 94 million buying stockpiles of crude oil in the United States .
The move , which the opposition has labelled as “ bizarre ” , has not come out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Trump government as far back as last year to try to tap into US fuel reserves .
And in March he flew to Washington to sign a memorandum of understanding promising to do just that .
But how does having oil on the other side of the world help Australia ’ s strategic position in the case of a major disruption ?
And who does the deal really benefit ?
Australia does need to increase its strategic fuel reserves .
It ’ s something that the International Energy Agency ( IEA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do for decades .
But Taylor ’ s plan doesn ’ t solve that problem , because the oil would be stored in the US .
“ The logic of getting space in US petroleum reserves makes absolutely no sense to me , ” Vlado Vivoda , a senior lecturer in strategic studies at Deakin University , told Crikey .
“ We ’ re talking about US strategic fuel reserves located in Texas and Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico .
First of all it would take about a month to get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Australia , it ’ s useless , because we have no refineries.
” As a primary commodity , crude oil is useful only if you ’ ve got somewhere to refine it .
And Australia has all but eradicated its oil refinery industry .
Taylor says he is talking to industry about building storage capabilities here .
But the reality is there is barely any industry left .
“ They ’ ve let the entire refining industry close , ” Tim Buckley , a director at the Institute of Energy Economics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other issue is that America is running out of storage capacity itself .
“ It makes it even more random .
If this is actually something the government is worried about , maybe it shouldn ’ t just do it as a random thought because the price is negative , ” Buckley said .
Australia imports 90 % of its liquid fuels but only has enough in storage to last 54 days — well below the 90 days it is obliged to stockpile under an agreement with the IEA .
Vivoda says it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standpoint to do a deal with a closer ally like Singapore , where more than half of our refined fuel comes from .
“ If anything our security measures should be focused on ensuring stability in Singapore and places along the supply chain , ” he said .
The US , which has been brought to its knees by the slump in oil prices , might benefit from the arrangement .
For Australia , the benefits are less clear .
“ Buying oil at record lows is not a bad idea if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be arguing they should be storing it in Australia , ” Buckley said .

You’ve got to hand it to Angus Taylor. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, he’s managed to land a deal.
The energy minister wants the government to take advantage of the collapse in oil prices by spending $94 million buying stockpiles of crude oil in the United States.
The move, which the opposition has labelled as “bizarre”, has not come out of nowhere. Taylor has been negotiating with the Trump government as far back as last year to try to tap into US fuel reserves. And in March he flew to Washington to sign a memorandum of understanding promising to do just that.


crikey--2020-04-23--Virus Watch: inquiries, inquiries everywhere

Amber has been a reporter for The Age , writer for ABC Comedy ’ s Tonightly , and creator of @ @ @ @ @ .
She was awarded the Jacoby-Walkley scholarship in 2018 , and was an Associate Producer @ @ @ @

While Australia is only starting to look the other side of the coronavirus outbreak, reviews and inquiries have already begun into various organisations’ handling of the crisis.
An inquiry into the federal government’s response began this morning, while an inquiry into the Ruby Princess saga continues today. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also called for greater powers for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to investigate disease outbreaks — alongside calls for a review.
COVID-19 inquiry begins
An inquiry into Australia’s coronavirus response, chaired by Labor Senator Katy Gallagher, has kicked off in Parliament House today.


crikey--2020-04-24--Company tax cuts: another front in the ongoing war on young Australians

Evidence from Trump 's company tax cuts in the US shows that wealthy retirees will be the winners , and @ @ @ @ @ losers , if Australian companies are given a windfall .
With yet another effort to @ @ @ @ @ large companies on the Coalition 's agenda and being pushed by big business and its @ @ @ @ @ clear now -- much more so than during previous efforts -- is the extent to @ @ @ @ @ attempt to transfer wealth from younger people and lower-income Australians to wealthy seniors .

With yet another effort to cut company tax rates for large companies on the Coalition’s agenda and being pushed by big business and its media cheerleaders, what is clear now — much more so than during previous efforts — is the extent to which it will represent another attempt to transfer wealth from younger people and lower-income Australians to wealthy seniors.
In the time since the Coalition abandoned its last attempt to gift some $80 billion dollars over a decade to large companies via a reduction in the company tax rate, we’ve been able to observe the real-world effects of Donald Trump’s massive company tax cut in the United States from 2018.
The hard evidence from the US is that Trump’s company tax cut produced no investment boom, that jobs growth slowed from the last years of Obama’s presidency, that the tax cuts had “a relatively small (if any) first-year effect on the economy”, and that wages growth and bonuses slowed noticeably after the tax cuts.


crikey--2020-04-24--How we can be free in an age of surveillance?

Until recently , the question of privacy lurked in the shadows .
Suddenly it ’ s stumbled into the light to become a defining issue of our time .
On a Sunday afternoon last April , long before COVID-19 , my nine year old set up a fish tank , my 13 year old took me to the movies and The New York Times told me to panic .
“ It ’ s time to panic about privacy , ” wrote columnist Farhad Manjoo .
“ Each time you buy some new device or service that trades in private information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your online activity — you are gambling on an uncertain and unprotected future .
Here is the stark truth : we in the West are building a surveillance state no less totalitarian than the one the Chinese government is rigging up.
” The newspaper then published a series of investigative reports .
One revealed how US law enforcement is using Google ’ s Sensorvault to find criminal suspects ( and witnesses ) by drawing on location data , often without users knowing .
Another showed how China is using facial recognition software and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority Uighur population , even when they leave their home province .
What happened ?
Until recently , privacy lurked in the shadows .
Suddenly it ’ s stumbled into the light to become a defining issue of our time .
In 2013 , whistleblower Edward Snowden popped up in a Hong Kong hotel room to drop bombshells about government surveillance.
” We are building the biggest weapon for oppression in the history of mankind , ” he said .
Perhaps that was the moment when privacy forced its way into the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following year , when nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence , Selena Gomez and dozens more were leaked to 4chan , and then to the wider web .
Several celebrities responded with heartfelt pleas that the content not be shared .
It was shared anyway .
Or perhaps it was in 2015 , when hackers raised intriguing ethical questions by “ doxing ” — that is , exposing — the identities of men using the Ashley Madison adultery website .
Some of the men committed suicide ; others initiated a lawsuit , which ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Madison ’ s parent company .
Or perhaps it was in 2017 , when a Canadian court ordered a company that makes vibrators to pay out $ 4 million for tracking users ’ sexual activity .
To cap it all , we then learnt that democracy had taken a hit .
In March 2018 , it emerged that the data of 87 million Facebook users had been harvested in the attempt to influence elections in the US , the UK and many , many more countries .
This was the Cambridge Analytica scandal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was exploited by a seemingly harmless psychological quiz app to manipulate the voting process .
In 2019 , the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) responded to this ( and other transgressions ) by imposing a US $ 5billion penalty .
“ The $ 5 billion penalty against Facebook is … almost 20 times greater than the largest privacy or data security penalty ever imposed worldwide , ” the FTC said .
“ It is one of the largest penalties ever assessed by the U.S. government for any violation.
” Admittedly , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unanimous .
Two of the five commissioners wanted the penalty to be bigger .
Cambridge Analytica showed how invasions of privacy can compromise not just individuals , but society .
When privacy is threatened , democracy can falter .
All of which suggests that privacy is collective and “ networked ” , rather than purely individualistic .
My privacy matters for your benefit , and vice versa .
Privacy only properly makes sense when we think of it as relational .
This was a conclusion I came to in a very roundabout manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked at the Sydney Morning Herald , where one of my regular topics was film .
Another regular topic was fatherhood , which meant that I was also writing about my wife and children .
I didn ’ t realise at the time , but here was a neat illustration of the relational nature of privacy .
As I wrote about my life , the content was about my family , some of it personal .
In early 2013 , having left the newspaper , I embarked on a PhD into the ethics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my focus .
And the more I studied , the more I became intrigued by a single sentence dating from 1785 .
It comes from Immanuel Kant ’ s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals .
The Groundwork is slim , but its impact is big .
At its heart is the notion of a “ categorical imperative ” : a supreme moral principle .
Kant expressed this categorical imperative in several forms , but the most enduring is the “ formula of humanity ” , which tells us that we must never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merely as a means ” , but only ever as autonomous agents who are free to chart their own course .
The formula of humanity prohibits exploitation and mandates egalitarianism .
It tells us to treat all persons as imperfect rational beings of absolute worth .
It commands us all to act with respect .
Today , it is a cornerstone of human rights law .
The task of my research became to apply this single sentence to internet privacy .
As my research took shape , three main questions emerged .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
In the examples cited above , I ’ ve barely skimmed the surface .
Philosophers Jeremy Bentham and Michel Foucault described the Panopticon , in which surveillance leads to conformity and obedience .
In Panopticon 3.0 , we step into the net , where we are all surveillers , and all surveilled .
Potentially , everyone watches everyone , even into the future .
The second main question is in two parts , and concerns the meaning and value of privacy .
It ’ s the second part that often feels particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear , right ?
While we ’ ve all heard doomsayers invoke the totalitarian nightmare depicted in George Orwell ’ s 1984 – where privacy and freedom are crushed beneath Big Brother ’ s boot heel – others have been resolutely optimistic .
In 1982 , science fiction novelist Isaac Asimov portrayed the utopian possibilities of a world of total openness and connection .
In Foundation ’ s Edge , Asimov described the planet Gaia , where humans , with the help of robots , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all living objects , and even some inanimate objects .
Here , there is no privacy , and the result is a peaceful , blissful paradise where each person lives as part of a networked super-organism .
“ It seems to me , ” says one character in Foundation ’ s Edge , “ that the advance of civilization is nothing but an exercise in the limiting of privacy.
” Gaia is an imaginary world .
In our world , I suggest , privacy matters a great deal .
Everyone has something to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Without privacy , our humanity is diminished .
Without privacy , we can not be free to think , act and express ourselves fully .
Without privacy , we can not befriend or love , given that my closest relationships are founded on trust , forged in part by keeping one another ’ s confidences and secrets .
And without privacy , society and democracy can not flourish .
And yes , I am aware of the irony that someone who once wrote a blog and a book about becoming a father is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Finally , the third main question addressed in my research asks how we might best protect privacy .
Here , building on Kant ’ s categorical imperative , I argue for law that protects a privacy that is not just individualistic , but relational .
Such law ought to take Europe ’ s General Data Protection Regulation , or GDPR , as its template .
Further , such law ought to take its cue from consumer law by outlawing misleading and deceptive conduct and mandating fairness and transparency .
And such law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of social norms , market forces and , above all , coding .
For instance , there is a key role for ‘ privacy by design ’ , which recognises that privacy needs to be coded into new services and platforms at the outset .
There is one caveat , however .
Privacy matters , but must always be balanced against other rights , interests and freedoms .
Big data has tremendous potential to enhance the lives of individuals and society : to ease traffic congestion ; to solve crimes ; to advance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data can help us combat COVID-19 .
The question is , how do we strike an appropriate balance ?
In 2019 , the internet turned 50 , the web turned 30 and Facebook turned 15 .
Unfortunately , confusion reigns .
“ The online world has become so murky that no one has a complete view , ” wrote tech innovator Jaron Lanier in 2018 .
“ The strange new truth is that almost no one has privacy and yet no one knows what ’ s going on.
” Net Privacy is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on , and then to propose practical solutions by applying a clear ethical framework .
Granted , there are other approaches we could apply , but my suspicion is that other legitimate ethical frameworks might yield a similar analysis .
That ’ s merely my suspicion .
What I can say with more certainty is that on an April afternoon last year my family and I installed a fish tank and saw a movie .
And later that night , at a casual dinner with friends , my wife and I shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinions and jokes were private .
Or were they ?
After all , the New York Times was telling us to panic .
Here on our island continent , most of us are coast dwellers .
At a young age , many of us are taught the basics of the ocean : how rips and currents flow ; when conditions are dangerous ; how to avoid sharks and stingers .
And the first rule is : don ’ t panic .
If you panic , you ’ re more likely to drown .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in data abuses and privacy violations .
Still , panic isn ’ t the best response .
What we need to do is help each other make it back to shore , and to a particular sort of freedom .
Sacha Molitorisz is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Media Transition at the University of Technology Sydney .
This is an edited extract from Net Privacy : How we can be free in an age of surveillance , out now through New South Books .

On a Sunday afternoon last April, long before COVID-19, my nine year old set up a fish tank, my 13 year old took me to the movies and The New York Times told me to panic.
“It’s time to panic about privacy,” wrote columnist Farhad Manjoo. “Each time you buy some new device or service that trades in private information — your DNA, your location, your online activity — you are gambling on an uncertain and unprotected future. Here is the stark truth: we in the West are building a surveillance state no less totalitarian than the one the Chinese government is rigging up.”
The newspaper then published a series of investigative reports. One revealed how US law enforcement is using Google’s Sensorvault to find criminal suspects (and witnesses) by drawing on location data, often without users knowing. Another showed how China is using facial recognition software and public cameras to monitor and control the minority Uighur population, even when they leave their home province.


crikey--2020-04-23--There will be no magic vaccine — for the virus or for society

There will be no magic vaccine — for the virus or for society Throughout the COVID-19 crisis , capitalism is @ @ @ @ @ magical thinking .
Nothing is more indicative of the desperation being felt by the corporate @ @ @ @ @ state , tame media -- than the stories being run about the possibility of a @ @ @ @ @ '' .

Nothing is more indicative of the desperation being felt by the corporate centre — capital, the state, tame media — than the stories being run about the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine “this year”.
There would appear to be no real chance of a vaccine this year but scientists, when pressed, will acknowledge the formal case — that there is a very (or vanishingly) small possibility of one.
The switch back to vaccine stories has coincided exactly with the fading of all hope that hydroxychloroquine would turn out to be a miracle drug which we could just pop the moment we feel a bit roni-ry and be back at work that afternoon.


crikey--2020-04-23--How do you stay fit and healthy when working from home?

This might seem like a frivolous question given people worldwide are fighting for their lives and others are risking them , but it 's one a lot of the newly working from home are asking .
How do you stay fit and healthy when working from home during the coronavirus lockdown ?
Unfortunately , phrases like “ corona-kilos ” and memes joking or despairing about weight gain are now circulating on pretty much every single social platform .
This , coupled with the sometimes harrowing coverage about COVID-19 , can be extremely triggering for people with eating disorders according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who are living with eating disorders to switch off their social media accounts .
Whatever brought you to this article , it ’ s time to cut through the noise and be realistic .
Here are some tips for staying fit and healthy when working from home : • Stand up at least once an hour • Leave the house once a day , even if it ’ s not to exercise • Get creative with what you have • Plan your meals , and more importantly , don ’ t skip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re feeling physically and mentally • Drink water like it ’ s going out of fashion If you ’ re someone who comes under the categories of ‘ gym head ’ or ‘ fitness fanatic ’ , gym closures may be a real struggle and that ’ s okay .
Losing any part of a daily routine that makes you feel good can be tough .
You might feel like going to the gym is your ‘ you time ’ , or that it makes you feel more together .
Feeling helpless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a natural response .
Set a schedule to get that feeling of control back , even if it ’ s just a little bit .
Choose the days you are going to exercise and pat yourself on the back when you do .
Setting a schedule is the easy bit , but sticking to the schedule may be no easy feat .
If you are in a mindset where you just want to stick your head in the sand , or go for a nap on your lunch break , this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the schedule you set out for yourself will give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of the week .
And don ’ t forget about the endorphins .
The endorphins make it all worth it .
Stand up at least once an hour Give your behind a break .
Stand up , stretch your arms , walk around your house .
Bonus points for going outside and getting some fresh air .
Standing up once an hour will help reset your body and mind while you ’ re working and you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sweat .
Leave the house once a day , even if it ’ s not for exercise Leave the house once a day , even if that just involves going out to the garden or walking to the corner shop and back , while obviously always maintaining safe social distancing .
There is nothing that a walk can ’ t fix .
It can ’ t get any more strange out there so run , skip , hop , jump , dance your worries away in the fresh air and it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Get creative with what you have Home work-out gear has pretty much been wiped out from most retailers for the foreseeable future but that doesn ’ t mean you have to just rely on cardio .
Fill up milk cartons ( or wine bottles ) to use as dumbbells , fill a bag with stones for a kettlebell , or use a sturdy chair for arm dips or step-ups .
Don ’ t despair over a lack of equipment — see this as a time to get inventive with the resources you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and more importantly , don ’ t skip them Plan out your meals and aim to eat at the same time every day .
The routine will help keep your metabolism in check .
By planning out a grocery list and meals for the week , it will help you cultivate variety , keep the nutrition value high in your meals , and give you something to look forward to .
Use the time you would usually spend commuting to spend more time on recipes you might not have tried before .
Resist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are worried about weight gain during the lockdown .
Skipping meals will make you more likely to over-eat and it has been proven to slow down your metabolism .
Keep track of how you ’ re feeling physically and mentally Don ’ t get into a habit of systematically weighing yourself .
Our weight fluctuates constantly , and the number won ’ t give you the stats you need during this time .
If you are feeling anxious about potential weight gain or losing out on the resources to advance your fitness , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are feeling physically , and on another column , write down how you are feeling mentally .
Sometimes , our own words , laid out in front of us offer the best perspective .
If you don ’ t know how to explain why you feel lethargic , cranky or fatigued , start keeping track .
There is nothing like competition to maintain your motivation .
Getting competitive with friends to beat your own personal fitness goals is a great way of staying connected , while also giving you an incentive to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group chat and add daily updates , give your friend a call or collaborate using the numerous fitness apps and wearables out there .
Drink water like it ’ s going out of fashion Aim to drink at least two litres of water each day .
Water is good for literally every aspect of your health , from your skin to digestion , circulation to nutrient absorption .
It will also help curb boredom eating and control hunger if , like most , you start thinking about lunch right after you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not the time to start being self-deprecating .
While there may be a lot of marketing messaging out there saying “ No excuses ” , remember they are usually trying to sell you something .
Do not be hard on yourself for not being amazing every day ; these are extremely unsettling times .
Take small steps , do what you can to stay fit and healthy when working from home , but don ’ t make it about guilt and/or punishment .
Most importantly , stay home .
This will all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Read : Working from home due to coronavirus ?
Here are 10 productivity tips

How do you stay fit and healthy when working from home during the coronavirus lockdown?
Unfortunately, phrases like “corona-kilos” and memes joking or despairing about weight gain are now circulating on pretty much every single social platform. This, coupled with the sometimes harrowing coverage about COVID-19, can be extremely triggering for people with eating disorders according to the Butterfly Foundation, which is advising people who are living with eating disorders to switch off their social media accounts.
Whatever brought you to this article, it’s time to cut through the noise and be realistic.


crikey--2020-04-24--Doctor Knew-Much, Did-Little reveals fatal flaws in Ruby Princess’ deathly arrival

The Ruby Princess inquiry is raising key questions about the independence of cruise ship doctors — is their duty to @ @ @ @ @ their employer ?
The Ruby Princess cruise ship off the coast of Sydney ( Image @ @ @ @ @ you are the senior doctor on the Ruby Princess and you are asked why you @ @ @ @ @ a complete list of passengers with possible COVID-19 symptoms until the day after they left @ @ @ @ @ answer :

If you are the senior doctor on the Ruby Princess and you are asked why you didn’t give health authorities a complete list of passengers with possible COVID-19 symptoms until the day after they left the ship, do you answer:
A: I had all the information but decided to keep it to myself
B: I discussed it with the company’s management and they said I should keep it to myself, or