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Imagine Labor had won the last Federal election. Then imagine:

That we had the most intense bushfires in our recorded history and the PM went on holiday to Hawaii

That Labor MPs were found to have used signs in Chinese during the election to deceive people into voting for them and the PM said nothing

That the Labor minister for Sport had been caught illegally using millions of dollars to target winnable electorates and the PM did nothing

Imagine Labor had won the last Federal election. Then imagine:

That we had the most intense bushfires in our recorded history and the PM went on holiday to Hawaii

That Labor MPs were found to have used signs in Chinese during the election to deceive people into voting for them and the PM said nothing

That the Labor minister for Sport had been caught illegally using millions of dollars to target winnable electorates and the PM did nothing

Today the good Walt Dardyman reminded me of a quote:

"The very stupid and the very powerful have something in common; they don't alter their opinions to fit the facts, they try to alter the facts to fit their opinions." - The Doctor, Face of Evil, 1977

This is what a real conspiracy looks like; the suppression and alteration of scientific research to suit economic interests and imposed by political authorities. Their attempt to "manage perceptions" and public opinion does not change reality.

One thing Australians believe about their country is that it is a classless society. Contrary to this belief, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief the contemporary class lines which run right through the nation. These class lines are delineated by people’s access to disposable income, for in a capitalist society like Australia disposable income determines what options you are able to pursue. It is the modern determinant of class.

I was going to write a long post about how the Chamber of Commerce, the Australian Hotels Association, and the State and Federal LNP would prefer that you, your parents, and your grandparents, were infected so their pockets are lined for their non-essential profits.

However, Daniel Andrews has just explained it without even having to mention how these carping muppets don't know the first thing about epidemiology.

But I will. And I'll also mention who does know. The AMA:

There's been some confusion about the term "last mile travel" and what it means. Mass transit transports large numbers of people at once -- that's why we call it "mass" transit. Those people don't all live in the same place, and they're not all going to the same place. Mass transit, by its very nature, relies on transportation hubs like bus stops and train stations. The "last mile" is the portion of a trip between the starting or ending point and the transit hub. It's the portion of the trip that mass transit, by its definition, cannot cater to.

This week, amidst the COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria, we are looking forward. Up until now, we have been in the throes of a reactive response to the pandemic. What is needed is some forward thinking and in this presentation we will put forward a ‘forward defence pandemic strategy’. We propose this because pandemics are likely to increase in a world of ever-increasing population growth, urbanisation, environmental destruction and industrial farming practises. These issues make us more susceptible to viruses crossing the animal-human barrier.

The Cambodian government is clamping down on freedom of association and expression in order to silence trade unionists, as workers resist the economic downturn and repression.

Global unions need our support to free Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU), and Sor Saknika, president of the Cambodian Informal Labourers' Association (CILA).

Rong Chhun was arrested on 31 July for incitement to commit felony for comments he made. He recently led pickets in garment factory closures and urged the government to make human rights improvements.

Around the world, some governments and companies are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to attack working people and their unions.

In Indonesia, the government has introduced an "Omnibus Bill on Job Creation" which, according to the unions, will reduce wages, remove entitlements and erode workers' rights in the country.

The government of President Joko Widodo is arguing that this bill rewrites 79 existing laws in order to allow greater foreign direct investment, support economic growth and create job opportunities for Indonesians.

In Jordan, the teachers' union had concerns about the way the government was handling the coronavirus crisis.

The government's response was to arrest leading members of the union, raid the union offices and shut the union down for the next two years.

Riot police were then deployed to break up peaceful demonstrations by teachers denouncing the crackdown on trade union rights.