We’ve reached the point all the coronavirus experts told us was just a matter of time - local transmission of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week called for calm asking people to stop clearing the supermarket shelves of toilet paper and that "Australians should continue to go about their lives in their normal way and just exercise common sense."

While Attorney General Christian Porter spelled out existing, as yet unused, biosecurity laws introduced in 2015 which allow the detention of infected citizens if they’re not complying with authorities.

He told ABC Radio "It's very likely that these laws will be used on a larger scale and it's very likely that Australians will encounter practices and instructions and circumstances that they'd not had to encounter before."

On this week’s episode of Please Explain, Tory Maguire talks to China correspondent, Eryk Bagshaw to discuss the Federal Government’s messaging tactics and later on in the show, Health Reporter from The Age, Melissa Cunningham will talk the latest advice and the mass panic around toilet paper.

Become a subscriber

Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage.

Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

We&rsquo;ve reached the point all the coronavirus experts told us was just a matter of time - local transmission of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week called for calm asking people to stop clearing the supermarket shelves of toilet paper and that "Australians should continue to go about their lives in their normal way and just exercise common sense."
While Attorney General Christian Porter spelled out existing, as yet unused, biosecurity laws introduced in 2015 which allow the detention of infected citizens if they&rsquo;re not complying with authorities.
He told ABC Radio "It's very likely that these laws will be used on a larger scale and it's very likely that Australians will encounter practices and instructions and circumstances that they'd not had to encounter before."
On this week&rsquo;s episode of Please Explain,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/by/tory-maguire-h0yjtc" data-track-relatedarticle="inarticlelink">Tory Maguire</a>&nbsp;talks to China correspondent,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/by/eryk-bagshaw-hvf7y" data-track-relatedarticle="inarticlelink">Eryk Bagshaw</a>&nbsp;to discuss the Federal Government&rsquo;s messaging tactics and later on in the show, Health Reporter from The Age,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/by/melissa-cunningham-gzyh29" data-track-relatedarticle="inarticlelink">Melissa Cunningham</a>&nbsp;will talk the latest advice and the mass panic around toilet paper.
Become a subscriber
Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage.
Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to&nbsp;<a href="https://subscribe.theage.com.au/">The Age</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://subscribe.smh.com.au/">The Sydney Morning Herald.</a>

From the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Please Explain Daily cuts through the noise to give you insight into the stories that drive the nation.

From the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Please Explain Daily cuts through the noise to give you insight into the stories that drive the nation.

Advertisement