Federal Government launches inquiry into national response to COVID-19 pandemic

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Australian government has launched an inquiry into the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's set to look at key decisions around vaccinations, medical supplies...and support for individuals, industries and businesses.

Transcript

00:00 The terms of reference show that the inquiry will look at the role that the Commonwealth

00:06 Government played, but also the responsibilities of states and territories.

00:11 It will also look at National Cabinet, which of course was a meeting of the Prime Minister

00:15 and First Ministers, so Premiers and Chief Ministers from around the country during COVID-19

00:21 as well.

00:22 On top of that, it will examine vaccinations, the supply of personal protective equipment.

00:28 It will look at mental health support, financial support to individuals, industries and businesses.

00:36 It will also look at how Australia as a country responded to groups within our communities,

00:41 so whether that's people with disabilities or First Nations Australians.

00:46 It will also look at the international border closures and public health messaging.

00:51 So there are some broad elements there, but what the inquiry won't include, or what the

00:57 terms of reference don't include in its scope, is actions taken by separate state and territory

01:03 governments.

01:04 Now, as you mentioned before, it has 12 months to report back and there'll be three experts

01:10 as part of this inquiry.

01:12 One with an economic background, one who's an epidemiologist, who viewers might remember

01:17 from a prominent face during the pandemic, Catherine Bennett, but it will also have a

01:22 public service expert as well.

01:26 Take a listen to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese making the announcement earlier today.

01:31 The terms of reference for the inquiry include key health measures, including COVID-19 vaccinations

01:38 and treatments, key medical supplies such as personal protective equipment and public

01:43 health messaging.

01:45 Broader health supports for those impacted by COVID-19 and lockdowns, including mental

01:49 health and suicide prevention supports and access to screening and other preventative

01:54 health measures.

01:56 Financial support for individuals, the support for industry and business, assistance for

02:02 Australians abroad, including assisted return to Australia, and governance and national

02:08 governance mechanisms, including the National Cabinet and the way that it functioned and

02:13 the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

02:16 The opposition has raised concerns about why this inquiry isn't a Royal Commission and

02:21 it's also raised some concerns about that scope not including individual decisions made

02:27 by states and territories.

02:30 Now the Prime Minister said today that he never promised a Royal Commission, but opposition

02:35 leader Peter Dutton is nonetheless calling it a broken promise.

02:39 He spoke just before.

02:41 It's clear that either the Prime Minister's been rolled here by Daniel Andrews and the

02:46 Premier of Queensland, or the Prime Minister is just happy to make a mockery of his own

02:54 words before the election.

02:57 Now the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pointed out that there have been 20 inquiries

03:02 already looking into COVID-19 and the job of this one will also be pulling in all the

03:07 information from those inquiries and certainly one hope is that Australia will learn lessons

03:13 from COVID-19 should the country need to apply them for any future pandemics.

03:19 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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