The Prime Minister’s unprecedented advice to Australians that they must not travel overseas is clear and logical. Less clear is what will happen to the more than 25 million Australians staying here. And that is where logic loses considerable traction.

This goes well beyond the panic of so many Australians emptying supermarket shelves of basic items as soon as the shelves are filled again. Government and broader community disapproval of selfish “un-Australian” behaviour by too many individuals is still having minimal impact on the level of hoarding and panic buying.