Australia’s COVID-19 Inquiry Open for Public Submissions

People line up at the Histopath pre-departure COVID-19 testing clinic at Sydney International Airport in Sydney on Dec. 23, 2021. Jenny Evans/Getty Images

The federal Labor government has called for submissions to its public inquiry into the COVID-19 response.

These contributions will inform recommendations that “improve Australia’s preparedness for future pandemics.”

The call for submissions, published on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website, noted that submissions and evidence should be relevant to the inquiry’s terms of reference.

The terms of reference, released on Sept. 21, state that actions taken unilaterally by state and territory governments and international programs and activities assisting foreign countries would not be scrutinised.

However, the requirement for submissions was “deliberately broad” to encourage a wide range of stakeholder views.

Health workers conduct COVID-19 tests at the Bondi Beach testing clinic in Sydney on Dec. 28, 2021. Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Some areas of interest include the response of health and non-health bodies, the responsibilities of the Commonwealth Government, the role of state and territory governments, and how the National Cabinet informed federal decisions.

The National Cabinet was formed on March 13, 2020, by then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison to make decisions on the COVID-19 response and comprised all the premiers and chief ministers of Australia.

Some contentious measures included a national lockdown, border closures, and a ban on leaving the country without a special exemption from the Department of Home Affairs.

The current inquiry has received criticism from the Australian human rights commissioner for being limited in scope and excluding the “unilateral actions” of state and territory governments.

State governments in their own right implemented some of the harshest lockdowns during COVID-19.

For example, Melbourne in Victoria was locked down for 263 days under the leadership of former Labor Premier Daniel Andrews, who placed the state under a “state of emergency” for nearly two years.

Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, also had a 107-day lockdown in 2021, in addition to a shorter lockdown in 2020.

Domestic border closures were also implemented by multiple state premiers in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania.

For example, Western Australia under the leadership of former Labor Premier Mark McGowan closed its borders for 697 days, nearly two years.

Submissions Open Until Mid-December

The public has until Dec. 15 to provide submissions to the COVID-19 inquiry.

The evidence will help the panel shape the next stage of the inquiry, a targeted stakeholder engagement in early 2o24 including roundtables and workshops.

“The panel welcomes published independent research and evidence-based findings, relevant to some or all of the terms of reference—either in support of a submission or on its own,” the inquiry website states.

A member of the Western Australia Police Force inspects cars at a border checkpoint on Indian Ocean Drive in Perth, Australia, on Jun. 29, 2021. Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

“The panel also welcomes outlines of ongoing research, relevant to some or all of the terms of reference, including protocol, analyses, and findings to date.”

The panel recognised that the inquiry “may raise issues for some people” and asked anyone needing urgent support to contact a 24-hour support service such as Lifeline or Beyond Blue.

Concerns About Scope of Inquiry

In September, Australian Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said an inquiry was inadequate to deal with the pandemic response and that a Royal Commission was the preferred option.

Ms. Finlay raised concerns about the decision to exclude state and territory government decisions, noting that Australia as a federation needed to examine the actions of subnational governments.

“Lockdowns, border closures, school closures, mask mandates, and many other aspects were the domain of state and territory governments and to not examine these as part of the inquiry means it will be harder for us to improve our response for future pandemics,” she said at the time.

“We need to ensure the rights and freedoms that were lost during the pandemic are better protected into the future and we need to ensure the human cost of the pandemic is properly understood so our emergency responses in the future don’t leave people or their rights behind.”

Then-Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, then-Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley, and then-Victorian COVID-19 Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar arrive at a daily press conference on July 27, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The federal opposition has also raised concerns, saying the inquiry appeared to be a “witch-hunt” against the previous government and that it was trying to avoid a clash with its state-level Labor counterparts.

In a media release on Sept. 22, the Coalition said the prime minister had walked away from a promise for a Royal Commission or a deep inquiry into the pandemic response.

“Light must be shone in on all of the decisions that were taken following the outbreak of COVID-19 in our country, particularly considering the significant role played by the states and territories, who were often responsible for decisions that most impacted on Australians lives and on their livelihoods,” the Coalition said.

“Actions like lockdowns, testing regimes, state border closures, and other restrictions that were placed on the Australian people, which we know are still having ongoing implications.”

Prior to the election, Mr. Albanese said it was “beyond doubt that you will need an assessment” when asked if he would set up a Royal Commission after the election.