Thank you to the many people and organisations who have made a submission to the Commonwealth Government COVID-19 Response Inquiry.
Engagement with the Australian community is essential for the inquiry into the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, announced in September 2023, to develop recommendations to improve Australia’s preparedness for future pandemics.
We have been greatly encouraged by the willingness of so many who have shared their views from across Australia. We recognise COVID-19 touched every person, every organisation and each sector in different ways.
Drawing on the experience of the last few years, we want to ask the questions:
- What could we do differently? Or do again?
- What is most important in preparing for another pandemic?
Bringing together your views, the recommendations of past reviews and the latest research, will help us develop the best possible approach to pandemic management.
Strong submissions response
We received over 2,000 submissions, including 282 from organisations and 1797 from individuals. You can view the list of organisations who have agreed to publication of their submissions.
If you have made a submission, and agreed to it being made public, it will be posted on our website by 31 March 2024.
Each submission must be reviewed prior to publication. A submission may be edited to protect the privacy of some respondents or to meet our guidelines. Read our privacy notice.
Meetings and interviews
Since we commenced in October 2023, we have held over 50 interviews with key stakeholders, including nearly 100 representatives from government, research bodies and academia.
We have also actively engaged with all state and territory governments as well as Australian Government departments.
Themes and priority areas
All submissions to the inquiry are being analysed to identify themes for further consideration and consultation with key groups.
Themes and priority areas include:
- support for groups including older people and people living with a disability, and First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- human rights impacts
- workforce (not limited to health/aged care)
- national supply chains
- communications.
The Australian Government and the states and territories
A key driver of Australia’s national response was its federal structure of government comprising the Australian Government, six states and two self-governing territories.
We will consider the roles and responsibilities of each tier of government, how they worked together and how decisions were implemented. We will also look at how National Cabinet functioned as a decision-making forum.
Next steps
We are still in the early stages of the inquiry. Looking ahead, we will:
- Continue interviews with current and former decision makers including premiers, ministers, business, union and industry leaders
- Roll out a range of consultation opportunities in different formats and locations
- Invite more in-depth participation from priority areas and groups.
This will help us develop recommendations based on the best possible information.
Late submissions
Submissions were open from 6 November to 15 December 2023 however, the website portal remains open, and the panel may consider late submissions. If you wish to provide a late submission, please contact COVID-19Inquiry@pmc.gov.au or call 02 6271 5332.
If you have not already provided feedback, please visit the submission pages for more information.