Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Whilst I don't pretend to be an expert on the legalities of the Archives Act and the obligations that exist across Commonwealth agencies, I am fairly confident in saying that they are not destroying records or documents that would be appropriately considered under any future review or other arrangements. If there's a need to add to that, in terms of the suggestion you have made, Senator Patrick, about an explicit order being made and whether that would provide any additional protection in that regard, I'll bring further information to the chamber if that is necessary.

In terms of cooperation, if an inquiry is established, as I said, I expect there will be not only plenty of reviews but many academic studies focusing on particular areas, all different areas, of response to the pandemic over the years to come. Certainly, where there are reviews of government we will cooperate fully.