As a collective, Australians generally dislike the government involving itself unnecessarily in our daily lives and expanding the ever-growing influence of the nanny state.

But as the crisis continues to unfold, all of a sudden there are industries and businesses coming out of the woodwork by the dozen, to appeal for government handouts and ongoing intervention by the Morrison government.

The pretext of a free market economy where businesses succeed or fail solely on their own merits has evaporated in a matter of months, along with what was left of the Morrison government’s credibility as superior managers of the federal budget.

Billions of...