A federal government investigation into the response to the Covid pandemic has expanded its scope and will look at what evidence state leaders used to order lockdowns.
A paragraph recently published on the inquiry’s website states that this will be the case: ‘Consider how evidence has informed decisions about interventions, such as lockdowns, in different jurisdictions in Australia.’
The The government was widely criticized after the inquiry announced in September specifically said it would not look into “unilateral” decisions made by state and territory governments.
Measures such as lockdowns, school closures, mask mandates and hardened state borders were all under the control of the state and territory government, so would not be in the spotlight under the mandate.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton claimed Labor prime ministers were being shielded from scrutiny, and said the inquiry should be able to order states and territories to participate.
Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said the inquiry would be a toothless version of a Royal Commission.
The evidence used to declare lockdowns will be looked at by the federal government’s Covid inquiry, after previously stating decisions made by premiers would not be included (Photo: Melbourne during 2021 lockdown)
Former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews oversaw the world’s longest lockdown in Melbourne. He recently resigned after being exhausted by the state’s top job
Prime ministers’ decisions on when to implement lockdowns or closures, for how long and how they will be enforced will still be excluded from the inquiry, but the change means it will look at whether the measures themselves are supported by evidence.
Other rules introduced between 2020 and 2022 included restrictions on outdoor exercise, limits on gathering in groups, preventing people from traveling more than a few kilometers from their home and nighttime curfews.
The aim of the new inclusion in the mandate is to look at how good evidence has been used in policy making, so that the process can be improved in the future, rather than scrutinizing every decision made by prime ministers.
“It is not the task of the inquiry to investigate why a lockdown occurred in a particular environment, but the way in which evidence was used in the process of (that) decision-making,” one of the three inquiry leaders, Catherine Bennett, told to the Sydney Morning Herald. .
Mr Dutton previously said it was a “protection racket” for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and WA Premier Mark McGowan.
“For the Prime Minister of our country to side with Daniel Andrews and Annastacia Palaszczuk over the people of Victoria, or indeed the people of our country, is a shameful act,” he said.
Healthcare and childcare experts want the study to examine the impact of the pandemic on children, particularly the closure of schools.
Melbourne’s deserted CBD during the depths of 2021 lockdown (photo)
National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollands said the research should put children’s needs “into the spotlight as the country struggles with young people’s mental health, school refusal and academic performance.”
“School is about much more than just academic learning that can be replaced by Zoom, and that social learning environment was missing,” she said.
Ms Hollonds said she would personally write the inquiry to recommend learning from the way other countries cared for their children during the pandemic.
“I will recommend that perhaps we should look at a child welfare council made up of multi-disciplinary experts who can provide advice to governments at critical times like these,” she said.
“And ideally there would be a minister for children whose responsibility it is to pay attention to the unique needs of children and young people.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr are now the only state and territory leaders to remain in office since the National Cabinet was formed in March 2020 to help drive Australia’s Covid response.
Andrews, McGowan, NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Liberal Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein all said the Covid crises had left them exhausted and played a role in their resignations.
Public submissions for the inquiry opened on Monday and a final report from the panel will be submitted by September 30, 2024.