THE COMMENTARIAT Canberra must take the initiative in quarantine system — Editorial (The Age): “When hotel quarantine was first implemented last year after a meeting of the national cabinet on March 27, each state was given less than two days to establish their own program. There was little in the way of national guidelines or ground rules they had to follow. Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered some logistical and other support, but he made clear that ‘arrangements will be run by the state and territory governments in each state’.” Labor must connect with ‘anger in the suburbs’ ($) — Troy Bramston (The Australian): “Chris Bowen has outlined a persuasive roadmap for Labor renewal and revival, combining public policy and political strategy, in a new book to be published this month. He examines why centre-left political parties, including his own, have lost voters to the centre-right in recent decades and articulates how to win them back to the fold.” What if we never recover? — Lucia Osborne-Crowley (Meanjin): “Some patients who are infected with the COVID-19 virus find they continue to have debilitating symptoms for months after the illness has left their bodies. They report crippling fatigue, pain all over the body, and particularly in the joints, inexplicable heart palpitations and a near-constant racing heart, diarrhoea, cramping, insomnia, and most of all, a terrifying brain fog. They report a loss of short-term memory, as if something has just disappeared.” | 