The latest inquiry will consolidate the more than 20 investigations that have already taken place in order to examine the nation's preparedness for any future pandemics.
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00:00 Today we have an announcement of the COVID-19 inquiry.
00:06 That is important that it take place.
00:08 We said before the election and I have said since, given the enormous dislocation, the
00:14 stress, the of course loss of life, the economic impact of the pandemic, it is appropriate
00:21 that when we reach the certain period that we would have an inquiry.
00:26 It is a commitment I made before the election and one of the things that we have been doing
00:30 is ticking off all those commitments that we have made.
00:34 Yesterday, five and a half million Australians enjoyed an increase to their payments.
00:40 We for the first time an additional 65,000 single mums got access to the single parenting
00:48 payment.
00:50 Making these changes are making a difference.
00:53 We are making sure that we deal with cost of living pressures.
00:58 Of course, Australians will recall, will never forget, what the country went through in 2020
01:05 and 2021 in particular.
01:08 It was a time where Australians joined together.
01:10 They made sacrifices to help each other.
01:14 They sacrificed some of the normal activity that would go on and it was a very disruptive
01:20 period in our lives but we got through it and we got through it in a way that was positive
01:29 in most respects but we need to examine what went right, what could be done better with
01:35 a focus on the future because the health experts and the science tells us that this pandemic
01:43 may well be, indeed is not likely to be the last one that occurs.
01:48 So that's why better preparedness is very important.
01:51 So the inquiry that we're announcing today will look at as well the more than 20 inquiries
01:59 that have already happened by people like Dr Peter Shergold and the other inquiries
02:03 that have occurred across states and territories and the Commonwealth up to now.
02:08 Bring them all together in a consolidated way but also look at new information which
02:15 will occur.
02:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]