The Prime Minister has announced an inquiry into the COVID response, but it won't probe unilateral decisions made by states and territories which means it won't be looking at lockdowns or border closures. The government insists the scope is adequate the opposition is adamant it should go further.
Category
đź“ş
TVTranscript
00:00 It's pretty broad, but not as broad as many had expected or called for. Interestingly
00:06 and of note, looking at the terms of conditions, they explicitly exclude actions taken unilaterally
00:14 by states and territories. As you mentioned, that of course relates to things like lockdowns
00:19 and border closures that we all became much too familiar with, some would say, during
00:24 the height of the COVID pandemic. Those measures of course among the standouts of the pandemic.
00:32 The scope of the inquiry does however extend to things like the health response measures
00:36 including PPE, the use of quarantine and also public health messaging. It also extends to
00:45 individual and business support and governance with a particular focus on future preparedness.
00:51 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in response to criticism the carve out was to protect
00:55 Labor premiers, sought to make clear that there were in fact three Liberal premiers
01:00 and three Labor premiers during the height of the pandemic.
01:04 The inquiry that we're announcing today will look at as well the more than 20 inquiries
01:11 that have already happened by people like Dr Peter Shergold and the other inquiries
01:16 that have occurred across states and territories and the Commonwealth up to now. Bring them
01:21 all together in a consolidated way but also look at new information.
01:27 Anika, the Federal Opposition claims this is a broken promise. How does it compare to
01:33 what the Prime Minister committed to ahead of the election?
01:37 Well of course, Joe, there's been a lot of discussion about the prospect of a COVID inquiry
01:42 in many forms. Prior to the election, the now Finance Minister chaired an inquiry which
01:48 in fact did recommend a Royal Commission into the handling of the COVID pandemic. Then on
01:55 the 6th of May last year, so in the weeks leading up to the Federal election, the Prime
02:01 Minister was asked in relation to this and he said we will examine it, COVID, and that
02:06 he supports looking at it through a measure like a Royal Commission. The Opposition there
02:12 seeking to read into that, that the now Government had committed to something with greater powers
02:17 than what we have heard announced today. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accusing the Prime Minister
02:23 of running a protection racket for Labor Premiers.
02:28 I think the Prime Minister has made a deliberate decision to put the interests of Labor Premiers
02:33 ahead of our national interests and that is a shameful act from a Prime Minister who has
02:38 been elected by the Australian people to provide support and to lead the whole nation.
02:45 And bodies like the Australian Medical Association and the Human Rights Commissioner have already
02:52 expressed concern and disappointment that the scope of this inquiry does not extend
02:57 to those individual, independent decisions made by states and territories, Joe.
03:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]