Australia’s former health minister has slammed state and territory leaders who implemented their own rules during Covid outside of national cabinet agreements.
Greg Hunt, in a submission to the government’s inquiry into the Covid-19 response, called for a new national code that would require prime ministers and chief ministers to publish the medical advice they follow when formulating public health mandates.
Hunt urged states to reaffirm their commitment to personal freedoms by agreeing not to make “unilateral decisions against national cabinet decisions unless there is signed medical advice.”
The retired politician criticized former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews in particular for going it alone with strict rules as he battled the brunt of Australia’s Covid waves.
“Unilateral decisions by some states outside the national cabinet framework, such as curfews in Victoria or 5km movement restrictions, were not the subject of Commonwealth advice,” he said in his submission, it reports. The Australian.
He added: “To my knowledge, medical advice for such restrictions has also not been published or confirmed at the state level.”
Former Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) said states and territories should publish the health advice they use when formulating public health mandates.
Hunt, in a submission to the government’s inquiry into the Covid-19 response, highlighted former Victorian premier Dan Andrews’ tough rules during lockdowns, such as curfews and 5km travel restrictions.
The Labor government announced its Inquiry into the response to the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
The research is led by senior bureaucrat Roby Kruk AO, Deakin University Professor of Epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett and leading health economist Dr Angela Jackson.
The investigation report must be delivered before September 30.
The inquiry itself was criticized after its announcement due to its narrow terms of reference.
The decisions of state and territory leaders and the advice of their top doctors are not under scrutiny.
Rather, the investigation will focus on broader public health issues, such as responses to quarantine and vaccines, economic impacts and the actions of the Morrison government.
However, the overall effectiveness of the government’s response will need to be examined, including the division of responsibilities between the state and federal government, the functioning of the National Cabinet and the role of advisory bodies.
Hunt said publishing the medical advice underpinning policy was standard under his government but was not a requirement as many states waived this step.
It urges research to seek a regulatory framework to standardize how public health mandates are decided.
A masked police officer checks a woman’s ID on Bondi beach in 2021
Mr Hunt is also concerned about the falling level of booster vaccinations, particularly in Indigenous communities, and a 164 per cent increase in Covid deaths in aged care facilities since 2022.
“This indicates the need for… support in the form of PPE, infection control and training, workforce support and vaccination support for staff and residents,” he said.
Hunt said the Coalition’s decision to close the country’s border with China in early February, more than a month before closing it to other countries, was possibly the most important peacetime decision made by an Australian government.
Only a handful of other countries had already done so, against the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommended increasing border controls.
‘No country emerged unscathed; however, very few countries had less loss of life and less economic damage than Australia.’
