Mike Seccombe The federal government has left the enforcement of coronavirus laws to the states, creating great confusion and uncertainty. One federal MP is even advising constituents on how to get around them.

Paddy Manning With Covid-19 making telehealth and working from home a necessity, the importance of the NBN – as well as its current inadequacies – has never been clearer.

Meg Watson In the wake of Covid-19, the US refugee resettlement program has been suspended and advocates have serious fears for those stuck in offshore detention in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Dion Kagan In his debut novel, The Adversary, Ronnie Scott explores the intense friendships and social rituals of young gay men. Here, he talks about trying to read the unspoken intentions of others, and the unintended consequences of our everyday behaviour. “Of course, it makes sense that people would want to decode others,” Scott says. “Hitching your fate to another person or letting someone into a really private part of your life … is an act of trust.”

Barry Jones The coronavirus pandemic has shown that profound social change is possible. It has caused a dramatic transformation in the way major problems are addressed, not only by government, but also in the ways we live, work, travel, purchase, entertain ourselves and interact with others. Long-ignored questions have become suddenly vital.

Paul Bongiorno The earth moved on Monday, when the coronavirus pandemic opened up a wide chasm between Australia’s governing Coalition and its political substructure. Don’t take my word for it, take the prime minister’s: ‘We are living in unprecedented times with the twin battles that we face and that we fight against the virus and against the economic ruin that it can threaten. This calls for unprecedented action.’ In one fell swoop the commitment to small government and privatisation, to the eradication of debt and deficit as the measure of fiscal rectitude and efficiency, tumbled into the abyss.

Richard Ackland Where’s Siiiiimon Reynolds when you need him? You’ll remember Siiiiimon as the adman who created the Grim Reaper advertisement in 1987, during the AIDS epidemic. It was a controversial yet highly effective message that drove home HIV awareness. Today the message about coronavirus could be coming into people’s mobile phones, daily, three times a day, whatever it takes.

At this point, it is fair to say Australia’s public health response to coronavirus trailed the developed world’s and our police response exceeded it. In many instances this week, one has been mistaken for the other. The public health measures are not in question – but little evidence has been given to show that special powers of enforcement are necessary.

Rick Morton With the nation in near lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, family violence is on the rise, with many victims now unable to access the help and services they need.

Jonathan Pearlman Poor Indian workers flee cities in lockdown. Widodo resists calls for large-scale lockdown. Singapore high court upholds anti-gay law. Jair Bolsonaro urges Brazilian businesses to reopen.

Tony Magnusson The shutdowns in the wake of the escalating Covid-19 crisis have forced art establishments to move fast in creating new and innovative ways to keep galleries relevant when their doors are closed to the public.

Geordie Williamson With today’s sequels and spinoffs often eclipsing their source material, Westworld, now entering its third season, takes the trend to a whole new level – presenting a futurist world of automatons with staggering richness and intricacy.

Omar Sakr

David Moyle

Robert Kidd For the author, life in Valencia was oranges and sunshine. Now confined to their apartment, he and his wife are developing new routines and looking for glimmers of hope amid the darkness.

Peter Hanlon Covid-19 is threatening the very fabric of regional communities as local sports clubs are forced to shut their doors and are left trying to puzzle out a way to survive the crisis.

Cindy MacDonald Test your general knowledge with our weekly quiz.