COVID-19 INQUIRY: WA Premier Flags Using Military Quarantine Facilities in Future Pandemic

A member of the police and Reserves are seen at a Covid-19 quarantine hotel on January 31, 2021 in Perth, Australia. Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Western Australian (WA) Premier Roger Cook believes the Australian Defence Force (ADF) should play a bigger role in any new pandemic in Australia.

The leader suggested the ADF has several facilities that could be used for quarantine, moving people and medical supplies, and securing borders.

Mr. Cook flagged the idea as part of his response to the Australian government’s COVID-19 Response Inquiry.

“The Australian Defence Force should play a greater role in any future pandemic response,” Mr. Cook said (pdf).

“It has numerous facilities which could be used for quarantine purposes, significant transport capabilities for moving people and medical supplies and highly trained and disciplined personnel who could patrol and secure our border.”

“Despite this, the use of ADF infrastructure and personnel was extremely limited in WA’s experience.”

His submission was one of more than 2,000 that have been received by the panel, and published on March 27.

Western Australia restricted (pdf) its borders on March 24, 2020, and started quarantining arrivals from overseas and interstate in city hotels on April 5 of that year.

The borders were fully closed for nearly two years until March 3, when the state opened to interstate and international travellers who had taken the vaccine.

Former WA Premier Mark McGowan was premier of the state at the time, with his Labor colleague Mr. Cook taking over the top job in 2023.

Mr. Cook’s submission touted how border closures and lockdowns had eliminated community transmission of COVID-19.

“Through utilising short lockdowns, border controls and effective public health measures and vaccination campaigns, WA was able to deliver some of the best health and economic outcomes in Australia,” Mr. Cook said.

The current WA premier highlighted WA’s COVID-19 experience “differed from the rest of Australia.”

“After the initial outbreak in February 2020, WA effectively eliminated community transmission of the virus until March 2022, by levering its geographical isolation and utilising three short lockdowns and various border controls.”

WA Couple Express Frustration With Border Closures

However, Western Australian couple Mr. Ken Bairstow and his wife Mrs. Bairstow shared details of their ordeal trying to return from Western Australia to the UK during COVID-19.

“On our arrival at the Perth Airport our negative COVID test results were dismissed as unimportant. Our printed G2G pass stating that our quarantine address was our home address was dismissed. We were forced into hotel quarantine for 14 days,” the couple said (pdf).

“We had to have two COVID tests in that period and were denied the results. We were negative. The room was unclean. We had no opening windows or access to fresh air. We had no change of linen for 14 days. Family supplied us with food.

“We were treated as criminals and demonised.”

Business Chamber Recommends National Approach to Borders

Meanwhile, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has suggested the government should consider a “national approach” to domestic and international border policies.

The chamber, in a submission to the inquiry, said the Australian tourism industry is still recovering from the impact of border closures.

“While international border closures were necessary to stem the spread of COVID-19 within the community, their closures had an adverse impact on Australian travel and tourism, from which it is still recovering,” the chamber said (pdf).

“In September 2023, short-term visitor arrival levels were still 15.9 percent lower than they were in September 2019.”

The chamber said the inability of travellers to cross state borders “significantly hampered” travel and tourism’s ability to operate effectively, further compounding the impacts of closed international borders.

“While domestic travel would not account for losses due to international border closures, the inability to travel between states was significant,” the chamber said.

The submission noted, “While many travellers come to Australia through international means, they also travel within the country.”

The chamber described the impact of closed international borders on the Australian travel and tourism industry as “devastating.”

“In future responses to pandemics and the like, it will be important to ensure that responses are proportionate to the risk to the community,” the submission said.

“While managing the health impacts on the community is of paramount concern, the impact of restrictive measures on industries such as travel and tourism must also be considered.”

Qantas Says Later Response Was ‘Disproportionate’

Australia’s national air carrier Qantas said containment measures for the virus were “disproportionate to the risk” later in the pandemic.

Qantas said early measures were appropriate as there was sparse knowledge about the virus and there was no TGA-approved vaccine available.

“However, as subsequent COVID-19 variants weakened, public sentiment shifted and COVID-19 vaccination rates increased later in the pandemic, applying the same containment measures resulted in new unintended consequences and in many cases, was disproportionate to the risk.”

The airline also expressed concern about some employees being isolated for up to “300 consecutive days” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While understandable in the early stages of the pandemic and when coming to terms with the virus; as the risk profile of workforces became better known (i.e. the risk of contracting and transmitting was statistically low for Australian-based aircrew), ongoing assessment of quarantine requirements should have been prioritised,” Qantas said.

“An unwillingness to do so prolonged mental health and distraction risk for the Qantas Group’s safety-sensitive workforce.”