The latest supermarket supply chain failure in Australia is qualitatively different to those we’ve seen in the past two years.This time it’s not due to demand - panic buying or stockpiling by customers - but supply, as the Omicron variant puts transport, distribution and store workers out of action.

So what to do about it? Edith Cowan University supply chain expert Flavio Macau has been following these issues for The Conversation since March 2020. He has suggestions for you, the supermarkets, and governments. The key is that we all cooperate, not compete against each other. Which is as good advice for life as it is in aisle 5.

Meanwhile, from today, Australian children aged 5-11 can receive their COVID vaccine. But what happens if one parent wants to vaccinate their child but the other doesn’t? Nicholas Wood from the University of Sydney explains the options and what’s likely to happen if cases go to court.

Tim Wallace

Deputy Editor: Business + Economy

Mick Tsikas/AAP

Supermarket shortages are different this time: how to respond and avoid panic

Flavio Macau, Edith Cowan University

In 2020 and 2021 empty supermarket shelves were due to spikes in demand. Now it’s a supply-side issue. The solutions, though, are substantially the same.

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Should my child have a COVID vaccine? Here’s what can happen when parents disagree

Nicholas Wood, University of Sydney

Not all parents agree about vaccinating their child. Here’s what’s likely to happen if cases go to court.

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I’ve tested positive to COVID. What should I do now?

Natasha Yates, Bond University

Whether you’ve tested positive on a PCR or a rapid antigen test, here are a GP’s tips of how to manage your condition.

AAP/Erik Anderson

How extremists have used the COVID pandemic to further their own ends, often with chaotic results

Kristy Campion, Charles Sturt University; Jamie Ferrill, Charles Sturt University

The pandemic has changed the nature of the national security threat to Australia: here’s what our research uncovered.

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What is the value of a wave? How changes to our coastline could wipe out surfing’s benefits

Ana Manero, Australian National University; Alaya Spencer-Cotton, The University of Western Australia; Javier Leon, University of the Sunshine Coast; Neil Lazarow, CSIRO

Surfing’s benefits to well-being aren’t often studied in economics terms. This is a major gap in our knowledge we’re now trying to fill.

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‘Lose some weight’, ‘stupid old hag’: universities should no longer ask students for anonymous feedback on their teachers

Richard Lakeman, Southern Cross University; Deb Massey, Southern Cross University; Dima Nasrawi, Southern Cross University; Jann Fielden, Southern Cross University; Marie Hutchinson, Southern Cross University; Megan Lee, Bond University; Rosanne Coutts, Southern Cross University

A study asked university teachers to share some of their students’ anonymous survey feedback. The results reveal insults and hate speech many lecturers deal with each year.

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