Government’s rejection of COVID Royal Commission a stark contrast to the UK and NZ

The Albanese government has dismissed the Senate legal and constitutional committee’s proposal for a COVID-19 pandemic royal commission with one sentence: “the government does not support this recommendation”.

In addition to this rejection, similar recommendations for a federal-state royal commission, the detailed three-page draft terms of reference, and calls for further public consultation were also rebuffed without detailed explanations.

Instead, the government referenced its existing plans for an “independent inquiry”, the COVID-19 response inquiry, which includes “an independent panel” and terms of reference aimed at comprehensively reviewing the national pandemic response, including collaboration with other levels of government.

Commenting on the government’s stance, Dr Scott Prasser, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies and former public servant in federal and state governments in senior research and policy roles, noted, “Neither the Labor senators nor the government delved into the 128-page Senate report or countered the 600 testimonies from respected health bodies and experts that supported the recommendation for a federal-state royal commission.”

Dr Prasser emphasised that this evidence formed the foundation of the committee’s belief that such a commission “would provide the best opportunity to analyse Australia’s pandemic response”.

He further explained, “The Senate committee highlighted that the government’s inquiry’s terms of reference were too restrictive, excluding examination of unilateral actions by state and territory governments on contentious issues like lockdowns, civil liberties, and school and border closures.”

Adding weight to the argument for a royal commission, Senator David Shoebridge of the Greens, in his “additional comments”, endorsed the recommendation, emphasising the need for its independent authority to compel necessary answers and ensure credibility.

Dr Prasser criticised the government’s refusal, stating, “The rejection of the royal commission proposal underscores how the promises made by Mr Albanese and Senator Katy Gallagher were merely political tactics prior to the 2022 federal election.”

He suggested that the government’s reluctance to scrutinise Labor-held states and territories during the pandemic hearings contributed to this decision.

A properly empowered joint federal-state royal commission, argued proponents, could have significantly enhanced Australia’s health system by earnestly exploring lessons from the pandemic. This stands in stark contrast to other nations like the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, and Norway, where comprehensive national inquiries were embraced to guide future responses.

In reimagining healthcare, Health Industry Hub^TM is the ONLY one-stop-hub uniting the diversity of Pharma, MedTech, Diagnostics & Biotech sectors to inspire meaningful change. The exclusive leadership and influencer podcasts and vodcasts offer unparalleled insights and add immense value to our breaking news coverage.

The Health Industry Hub^TM content is copyright protected. Access is available under individual user licenses. Please click here to subscribe and visit T&Cs here.