Images from SMH and Urban Wronski
By Situation Theatre 23/3/2020
COVID-19 makes one thing clear: Bondi beachgoers are responsible for the catastrophic structural failures of neoliberalism.
The entire neoliberal ideological project is built on eroding trust in government’s ability to provide services and instead encouraging citizens to place their faith in the market.
That project has led to the calamitous failure of our institutions to deal with the existential threat of climate breakdown, one which we’ve known about for the entire history of neoliberalism and one which threatens all life on Earth.
That project has allowed the oligarchic takeover of our democracies and the erosion of the social safety net.
That project has weakened our public healthcare systems making us incredibly vulnerable to the devastating effects of a pandemic.
That project has led to traditional media consolidation in the hands of billionaires, social media monopolies, as well as constant attacks on our most valued media sources, like the ABC. It has caused a fractured media landscape in which it’s very hard for the public to know who to trust.
That project has allowed corruption, cronyism, negligence, and lies to thrive at the highest levels of government.
But yeah, it’s the failure of individuals to avoid Bondi Beach that we should focus on.
