Australian Senate to Investigate Excess Deaths in ‘World First’ Inquiry

A New South Wales Ambulance paramedic transports a suspected COVID-19 patient to the Emergency Department of St Vincent's Hospital on June 4, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

The Australian Senate has agreed to investigate excess deaths since the start of the pandemic, following a persistent push by UAP Senator Ralph Babet.

On March 26, the Senate voted in favour 31 to 30 for the Community Affairs References Committee to investigate the factors contributing to excess mortality.

The United Australia Party senator managed to gain the support of the Liberal-Nationals, One Nation, the Jacqui Lambie Network, and independents David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe.

Both the ALP and the Greens voted against the motion.

The latest move comes after the Senate voted in favour of an earlier motion on Feb. 8 that supported a further inquiry into excess deaths.

“This appears to be a world-first inquiry for what is a global issue,” Senator Babet said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“This is the fifth time I have moved a motion on excess deaths. Finally, the Senate has agreed that an investigation is warranted.

“May this committee process give a voice to the family members of the deceased and deliver the answers that our nation so desperately needs.”

United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet. Parliament

Excess Deaths in Australia

According to a research paper (pdf) published by the parliamentary library in December 2023, there were an estimated 18,600 to 20,200 more deaths (“excess deaths”) in 2022 than might have occurred in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February, the Australian Bureau of Statistic’s (ABS) provisional mortality statistics confirmed that by November 2023, there were 15,114, or 10 percent more deaths than the baseline average, Senator Babet said.

Reported excess mortality is the number of deaths from all diagnosed causes (including COVID-19) that are greater than might be expected when compared with a modelled estimate based on historical data.

“Excess mortality is not just a transitory phenomenon,” Senator Babet said on X (formerly Twitter).

“The key areas of concern are dementia deaths (18.5 percent above baseline), diabetes deaths (20.1 percent above baseline), other cardiac conditions (13.1 percent), and respiratory diseases (13.0 percent).

“Our fellow Australians are dying in larger numbers than the baseline average, and we need to find out why.”

Comparatively, in the United States, excess mortality among 15- to 44-year-olds reached 20 percent, and increased to about 34 percent in 2021, while excess mortality was just over 18 percent in 2022.

COVID-19 Likely Contributed

While RMIT FactLab concluded that roughly half (5,620) of the excessive deaths in 2022 were from COVID-19, the other half were from non-COVID excess deaths such as dementia, cancer, ischaemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular diseases.

“The vast majority of the excess deaths were in people aged over 75, but we have a huge population over the age of 16 that has been vaccinated,” the Australian Actuaries Institute’s Karen Cutter told RMIT FactLab in October 2022.

However, Ms. Cutter has denied the cause of excess death being linked to the vaccine.

“There is no credible evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines have contributed to excess deaths in Australia or overseas,” the Therapeutic Goods Administration also told RMIT FactLab.

Meanwhile, Senator Gerard Rennick claims that there were 10,000 unexplained excess deaths between May and December 2021, when the vaccines were being administered.

The Community Affairs References Committee is expected to report its findings on excess deaths by Aug. 31, 2024. Submissions will be requested from the general public with public hearings expected to follow.