'We will never forget': PM Anthony Albanese launches COVID-19 preparedness inquiry

Australian Community Media

The latest inquiry will consolidate the more than 20 investigations that have already taken place in order to examine the nation's preparedness for any future pandemics.

Transcript

00:00 Today we have an announcement of the COVID-19 inquiry.

00:06 That is important that it take place.

00:08 We said before the election and I have said since, given the enormous dislocation, the

00:14 stress, the of course loss of life, the economic impact of the pandemic, it is appropriate

00:21 that when we reach the certain period that we would have an inquiry.

00:26 It is a commitment I made before the election and one of the things that we have been doing

00:30 is ticking off all those commitments that we have made.

00:34 Yesterday, five and a half million Australians enjoyed an increase to their payments.

00:40 We for the first time an additional 65,000 single mums got access to the single parenting

00:48 payment.

00:50 Making these changes are making a difference.

00:53 We are making sure that we deal with cost of living pressures.

00:58 Of course, Australians will recall, will never forget, what the country went through in 2020

01:05 and 2021 in particular.

01:08 It was a time where Australians joined together.

01:10 They made sacrifices to help each other.

01:14 They sacrificed some of the normal activity that would go on and it was a very disruptive

01:20 period in our lives but we got through it and we got through it in a way that was positive

01:29 in most respects but we need to examine what went right, what could be done better with

01:35 a focus on the future because the health experts and the science tells us that this pandemic

01:43 may well be, indeed is not likely to be the last one that occurs.

01:48 So that's why better preparedness is very important.

01:51 So the inquiry that we're announcing today will look at as well the more than 20 inquiries

01:59 that have already happened by people like Dr Peter Shergold and the other inquiries

02:03 that have occurred across states and territories and the Commonwealth up to now.

02:08 Bring them all together in a consolidated way but also look at new information which

02:15 will occur.

02:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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