There is nothing startling in the report of the expert panel appointed to review government’s response to the July 2021 civil unrest. It confirms that factional politics is now having deadly consequences, that poverty and inequality are dry tinder just waiting for a spark and that our public order policing and crime intelligence are in a shambolic mess. Without a visible rooting out of those responsible not only for those nine horrific days, but also for the preceding years of fraud, corruption and lawlessness, the risk of a repeat performance remains.