Empty grocery shelves in the lucky country

In this land of sunshine and many acres we did not expect to see empty shelves in supermarkets.

We were the lucky country, persuaded by Donald Horne’s ironic title, The Lucky Country and we had slipped into a smug sense of security.

But in that 1960’s publication now recognised as an Australian classic, the late author meant to be provocative, pricking the conscience of a complacent post-war society.

We might now see, with current COVID-19 social restrictions, that complacency has been truly shattered and our society is undergoing enormous change, albeit with material challenges.

The unnatural hoarding of basic household goods and foodstuffs by a few selfish people has been rightly condemned: but the inability of the logistic chain to maintain supply with the just-in-time planning concept beloved by management accountants has been exposed.

Read the whole article by Stephen Burns in The Land