It’s been a week of big, frightening numbers — and one big, frightening question: how close are we to going back into COVID-19 lockdown across the country? The answer to that, of course, depends on where you live and to what extent you trust your friends, colleagues, neighbours, authorities… and yourself.

Crikey’s Kishor Napier-Raman put such questions into context, with a great weekend read in yesterday’s edition, and throughout the week the team has been addressing all manner of coronavirus issues. Chief among them has been the extent to which government will play a role in all our lives for the foreseeable future. Bernard Keane addressed that and related questions; Janine Perrett made the issues that much more personal, in her own irascible way.

Of course, there are plenty of other things to report about and analyse. Chris Warren has been looking at the ongoing challenges faced by the news media, conflicts of interest reporter Georgia Wilkins continues to use her investigative powers to great effect (covering such diverse topics as Phil Gaetjens, new environmental laws, and the campaign for Perth’s lord mayor), and David Hardaker returned to his analysis of Australia’s honours system — where are the indigenous members on the Council of the Order of Australia? Elsewhere, Michael Bradley considered academic freedom and the Peter Ridd case, and Stephen Mayne offered up a way of looking at next week’s corporate reporting season.

Here’s a selection of the week’s best.

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 6 minute read

Rather than ask why so many Victorians ignored the tickle in their throats and went to work, we need to ask how we've built a society where so many people had no other choice.

GUY RUNDLE 4 minute read

The COVID-19 lockdowns represent one of the most radical transformations of everyday life by the state in human history. Can it be kept up?

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 2 minute read

Just hours after the Victorian government announced its new face mask rule, news.com.au appeared to be ready to make some money off it.

DAVID HARDAKER 4 minute read

The Council of the Order of Australia is meant to reflect the makeup of Australian culture. So why has it been years since there's been any Indigenous representation?

STEPHEN MAYNE 3 minute read

This business reporting season shapes up as the most intriguing since the global financial crisis. Here's what you should watch out for.

MICHAEL BRADLEY 4 minute read

A decision by the full Federal Court has reaffirmed the rights of employers to visit consequences on those who too viciously bite the hand that feeds them.

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

The government has sensibly extended JobKeeper but it's been guided by ideology in curbing payments for Australia's army of unemployed.

CHRISTOPHER WARREN 3 minute read

As new, community-owned print newspapers launch in regional Australia, News Corp will do what it can to hold onto that space.

DAVID HARDAKER 5 minute read

The governor-general has enormous scope for stripping Order of Australia honours. So when should he? And perhaps more importantly, why hasn't he?

JANINE PERRETT 3 minute read

In these COVID times, Janine Perrett is relishing her role as a protector of the pandemic peace.

3 minute read

Not only has our former treasurer turned an ambassadorial stint into a new role as a lobbyist, he's recruiting his former diplomatic staff.

BERNARD KEANE and GEORGIA WILKINS 3 minute read

Not only has our former treasurer turned an ambassadorial stint into a new role as a lobbyist, he's recruiting his former diplomatic staff.

MICHAEL BRADLEY 4 minute read

Victoria's decision to make face masks mandatory has, for some, been a declaration of war. But is it about human rights or bigotry?

RHANEE REGO and JOHN ANDERSON 4 minute read

Familial DNA searches have been a boon in solving cold cases, but are they contravening the rights of the accused?

BERNARD KEANE 2 minute read

The government has revealed the expected damage to the budget from the pandemic, with colossal deficits now dominating the Australian economy.