Faced with coronavirus and a trust deficit, can Scott Morrison swallow his pride? | Peter Lewis

Australians need to work together, under the clear direction of our government. But are we, and it, up to the challenge?

Images of pitched battles for toilet paper may seem to contrast with the volunteerism that characterised our collective response to the summer bushfires but there is a common thread that threatens to define Scott Morrison's Australia.

Having witnessed a decade when government has failed to live up to our expectations, from rolling elected leaders willy-nilly to shirking the action required to address climate change to spraying public moneys for political ends, our faith in public institutions is at an historic ebb.