Analysis

John Passant passed away peacefully on April 5. Paul Oboohov recounts the life and achievements of this socialist activist, poet, lawyer, academic and tax expert.

Whatever the early delays and bungling in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we can be relieved Australia did not follow in lock-step with Britain and the United States. However, governments here are not pulling out all stops to save lives, writes Sam Wainwright.

The federal government plans to spend $130 billion for a wage subsidy, but Peter Boyle argues it is more a corporate survival subsidy.

The Socialist Alliance has released the following plan to combat COVID-19.

Abigail Boyd had a front-row seat to watch the wealthy be bailed out after the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. She warns the same is already happening with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Socialist councillor Sue Bolton writes that years of cut-backs and privatisations have made it hard for councils to rapidly put in place a COVID-19 public health response.

Other than those held in detention, refugees and asylum seekers living in communities across Australia are probably the most vulnerable to COVID-19, writes Jonathan Strauss.

The coronavirus pandemic is both a threat to our health and corporate profits. As Alex Bainbridge argues, our health needs must come first, which means meeting health needs without making workers and the unemployed pay for the crisis.

After explicitly ruling them out, the federal government has now announced it will legislate for wage subsidy packages. Lisbeth Latham takes a critical look at what's on offer.

Who should pay for the more than $300 billion COVID-19 stimulus packages? Rather than shifting the cost on to workers and the poor, Jim McIlroy points to an alternative solution.

Life under COVID-19 just got scarier for many women. Isolation at home is not the safest choice for women trapped in abusive relationships, writes Chloe DS.

The COVID-19 crisis is highlighting how inadequate the rules governing casual workers really are, writes Leo Crnogorčević.