“Australia’s ‘brutal’ Covid-19 lockdowns hit vulnerable groups harder, worsened existing inequalities: report” || SCMP

Above: Sydney in lockdown. For quite a while in 2020-21
Australia had the world’s most stringent Covid restrictions 

Worst in Melbourne. Where they have a Labor government. Founded 131 years ago on working class roots. To defend the interests of the working class. But which these days cares least for the working class and most for inner-city elites (tbf, the same switch has happened to Left-wing parties in the US and the UK, perhaps everywhere in the west).

During those "brutal" lockdowns, Victoria's Labor party demonised the working class, when they complained and demonstrated that lockdowns were destroying their lives and livelihoods. 

There's some truly horrendous film of Victorian police cracking heads, literally. (And I mean "literally" literally!). Beating up on elderly women for wearing masks incorrectly…

But "flatten the curve". Right. In the pursuit of which — because "health emergency" — any amount of police brutality was overlooked. Perhaps even cheered on. Because "how dare they put everyone's lives at risk?”.

Report of an independent review in Australia of our Covid lockdown policies and their effects, in todays South China Morning Post:

Australia's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately affected marginalised and disadvantaged groups, according to an independent review, which found "brutal" lockdowns exacerbated existing inequalities in the country.

In the comments at the site I ask when we might have our very own Covid Policy review here in Hong Kong. Our chief executive John Lee gave his inaugural policy address yesterday with nary a word on our continuing Covid restrictions, at least as far as you’d know from the six-page report (encomium?) in the Post.