Photographer: WHO / Acer Apis
An Australian Centre for Disease Control is to be established to better guide future responses to pandemics, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
He made the comment in response to the release of the report of an independent inquiry into the country’s COVID-19 response.
Mr Albanese says the centre is a key recommendation of the report’s findings.
Given the magnitude of this crisis, I determined that it was in the national interest to review what worked and what we can do to be better prepared in the future,” he says.
Health Minister Mark Butler says discussions about the centre will start immediately and continue for months.
“This inquiry will be the blueprint to ensure Australia is better prepared for the next pandemic – and there will be a next pandemic,” Butler says.
“As the inquiry makes clear, Australia lacked sufficient planning and preparation for a pandemic. There are a lot of lessons.
“The establishment of the Australian CDC will help ensure we are prepared next time.”
The report found that trust in government and science needs to be rebuilt if Australia is to avoid a repeat of its response to COVID-19.
It also found that Australia went into the pandemic with stretched health and aged care systems, no clear national management plan and gaps in the National Medical Stockpile.
It said an economic response to the pandemic was critical but Australia’s response proved costly, and inflationary, as mistakes were made.
Modelling cited in the report says peak inflation could have been reduced by at least two per cent if economic policy during the pandemic better matched public restrictions.
The report says global supply shocks contributed to strong inflationary pressures in the Australian economy which were “clearly” compounded by poor policy choices during and after the pandemic.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the pandemic’s effects are being felt today.
“The inquiry has told us that big decisions were taken and big mistakes were made,” he says.
“These mistakes were costly and added fuel to the inflationary fire.”
MASTER BUILDERS
In response to the report’s release, Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the HomeBuilder scheme was the right policy for the time and should not be made a scapegoat for systemic housing challenges.
“The Federal Government had a difficult job of keeping the economy afloat with targeted stimulus measures while keeping people safe during a period of uncertainty,” she says.
“As the report rightly points out, there are strong links between the strength of the building and construction industry and the broader economy.
“At the time, the economy was facing a full-scale shutdown and a collapse in demand with a real threat of a recession.”
She says HomeBuilder saved businesses and jobs during the pandemic and was not the root cause of labour and material shortages.
“The inflationary challenges we are seeing play out in the building and construction industry today are predominantly the result of a decades in the making labour and housing supply shortage.
The inquiry was set up in September 2023 to study Commonwealth responses to the pandemic, including vaccines and financial support, and the role of National Cabinet.
The Government will release a response later.
The report is available at: COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report
