“Stop hoarding. I can’t be more blunt about it. Stop it.”
Those were the words of the Prime Minister this morning, as he took on the role of the country’s disappointed parent.
“It is not sensible, it is not helpful and it has been one of the most disappointing things I have seen in Australian behaviour in response to this crisis,” Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
“It’s ridiculous, it’s un-Australian, and it must stop.”
PM @ScottMorrisonMP urges Australians to stop hoarding supplies. “Stop it now. It’s un-Australian.” #coronavirus #auspol
More details: https://t.co/0YTRK0I156 pic.twitter.com/tYazqvaBLn
— news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) March 17, 2020
First it was toilet paper, then it quickly spread to sanitiser, pasta, and now pretty much everything. As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, Australians have been panic buying goods in bulk.
While there is no supply shortage of any products, things are being bought faster than they can be replenished in stores. This has been a huge logistical headache for supermarkets, which are moving to 24-hour restocking in some cases, and pausing online shopping in order to ensure a steady supply.
Footage of people fighting over toilet paper, and incidents where police have been called in response to violence are what have prompted the Prime Minister to lash out. He treated the nation like children, and most of us probably deserve it.
The craze has also disproportionately impacted vulnerable Australians, including the elderly, disabled and those on tight budgets. Not everyone can afford to buy in bulk, meaning that the shelves are sometimes empty when the time comes to go shopping.
“What it does, is it is distracting attention and efforts that need to be going into other measures to be focusing on how we maintain supply chains into these shopping centres,” Morrison said.
“There is no reason for people to be hoarding supplies in fear of a lockdown.”
For once, we’re in complete agreement with the PM. Just bloody stop.
