Wednesday, 2 August 2023

Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee

Review of the Pandemic (Quarantine, Isolation and Testing) Orders

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (17:44): I rise to speak this afternoon on the report Review of the Pandemic (Quarantine, Isolation and Testing) Orders. The report was undertaken by the Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee, of which I was a member. The report was handed down in July 2022, and today we received a response from the government, which is a couple of paragraphs. It does not say anything about the work that the committee did on it. I want to acknowledge those committee members who did this work, because it was important work.

I mean, we seem to have forgotten what went on just a few years ago with the pandemic and what happened here in Victoria: the incredible restrictions that we were all placed under, the longest lockdowns of anywhere in the world and the harshest of restrictions in Victoria, with the worst outcomes. We have had the worst outcomes in terms of the number of people who have died, and we have had some very difficult implications as a result of the decisions made by the government, including school closures – we know that children were impacted very, very significantly.

The Liberals and Nationals wrote a minority report at the time of this report. In that report we said we were of the view that there was an inconsistent approach from the Andrews government regarding the management of COVID-19. I think as time has gone on, with more and more coming out, we know that to be the case. We actually never did get the truth. We actually never did get the health advice that was provided – we know that now, and that is coming out. That is why I think it is incredibly disappointing that the government’s response to this work undertaken by the committee has just been very flippantly regarded.

Now, the committee as a whole did have a number of findings and recommendations around the evidence that we received and the information that was provided to the committee. The minority report that we did had a total of 26 recommendations. Those recommendations were very thorough in trying to determine and understand exactly what we need to do around managing such a situation. I think it is extraordinary that the government’s only response to this report is this: thanking the committee – that takes up one paragraph; there are some other things around the Independent Pandemic Management and Accountability Committee and the communications; and also talking about the act. But there is one line from the government about this report, and it says:

Many of the findings and recommendations from the review will be taken into account in future pandemic preparedness planning.

That is it. That is extraordinary. We were underprepared when we came into COVID, and they have learned nothing – this government have learned nothing. The despair and extraordinary impacts that their decisions have had on Victorians will not be forgotten – they are very, very significant – and that is all the government have to say about the work undertaken at a time that caused so much heartache, so much dislocation and so many problems for so many people.

I certainly will not forget the many people that I had to deal with and the tragic, sad, frustrating and extraordinary circumstances that they found themselves in. I will not forget that and they will not forget that, but this government want to forget everything about their management of COVID-19. Victorians know that there was mismanagement; they know that there was not the health advice provided that we all expected and deserved. Quite frankly, the flippant disregard for the work undertaken by the committee shows just how the government treated the entire pandemic. They actually did not care about the welfare of Victorians.