Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

During COVID-19, governments had a huge impact on the lives of all Australians and exercised unprecedented control over our day-to-day activities. Many in my community are still feeling the effects of the pandemic very deeply, whether it be concerning their health, mental wellbeing or economic circumstances or whether they lost loved ones. I, therefore, welcomed the government's inquiry into Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I am deeply disappointed that the unilateral decisions made by state and territory governments—which included border and school closures, lockdowns and mask mandates—are excluded from the scope of the inquiry.

This disappointment is also shared by my community. We had hundreds of responses to a poll conducted in Wentworth, where 85 per cent of constituents said the inquiry should include the decisions of state governments and around 90 per cent said state and territory leaders should be required to give evidence. Many also shared that they felt the inquiry process had become politicised with this omission.

If we truly wish to learn from our experience during COVID-19 and ensure Australia's preparedness should another pandemic occur, these key aspects of Australia's response must also be evaluated publicly. There's still time to make this change. With the final report not due until September 2024, it's crucial the government expand its terms of reference and ensure the leaders of state and territories appear before the inquiry. This is too important to politicise. This inquiry must— (Time expired)