The Govt has announced a new body to prepare for the next pandemic

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The COVID-19 Response Inquiry released its final report on Tuesday, finding that while the first stage of the pandemic was “characterised by decisive leadership,” Australia’s vaccine rollout was “slow to start [and] hampered by logistical challenges”.

An inquiry into the Federal Government’s response to COVID-19 has found it wasn’t “adequately prepared” for a pandemic.

The COVID-19 Response Inquiry released its final report on Tuesday, finding that while the first stage of the pandemic was “characterised by decisive leadership,” Australia’s vaccine rollout was “slow to start [and] hampered by logistical challenges”.

In response, the Government has announced it will formally establish a national ‘centre for disease control’ by 2026.

Inquiry

The independent inquiry was set up in September 2023. Its scope was limited to actions taken by the Federal Government.

This decision was criticised by the Coalition Opposition, who were in Government at the onset of the pandemic.

The inquiry found that “trust in governments and in science has waned” as a direct result of the response to the pandemic. It recommended prioritising “rebuilding trust” going forward.

In terms of Government actions, the inquiry found that many COVID-19 measures “are unlikely to be accepted by the population again.”

It said that future pandemic responses must be “based on the Australia we are today, not the Australia we were before the pandemic.”

The inquiry raised concerns about Australia’s preparedness for future pandemics, because “many of the public health professionals, frontline community service and health staff… we relied on to get through the pandemic are no longer in their positions.”

Recommendations

The inquiry handed down nine recommendations, and 26 short and long-term actions, to improve Australia’s response to a future pandemic.

It recommended developing a national plan for the next pandemic that includes the possible “health, economic and social response”.

The report also recommended reviewing the effectiveness of some “economic support measures”, after it said a “health crisis quickly became an economic crisis“.

CDC

In a press conference today, Health Minister Mark Butler said: “We are arguably worse-placed as a country to deal with a pandemic than we were in the early 2020s.”

Butler said that at the start of the pandemic, Australia “had not led a national pandemic drill for 12 years”.

He outlined plans to create a ‘centre for disease control’ by the start of 2026. This body will be responsible for ensuring Australia is prepared for a future pandemic.

Opposition

The Opposition called today’s announcement “politically motivated”.

The Coalition noted that decisions made by State and Territory Governments were not included in the inquiry’s scope, despite these jurisdictions being responsible for most of the lockdowns.

Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston said the Government is focused “on politics, and not on ensuring Australia is best prepared for any future pandemics.”

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