The Government must commit to a Royal Commission into the COVID-19 crisis in Tasmania.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said the families of loved ones lost to this crisis deserved nothing less.
“Tasmanian has seen one of the worst outbreaks in the country at the North West Regional Hospital. One third of Tasmania’s hospitals were closed, the military was called in and nearly 5000 people were forced into quarantine and the North West was locked down,” Ms White said.
“The impact of COVID-19 has been enormous and the Government needs to commit to a Royal Commission in acknowledgement of the massive health, social and economic impacts the community has felt as a consequence of COVID-19.
“219 Tasmanians have contracted the illness and, tragically, 12 people have died to date, many businesses have closed and nearly 20,000 people have lost their jobs.
“While the report released today into the North West outbreak will form part of the picture, the unprecedented scale of this crisis requires a Royal Commission that can delve into all aspects of the crisis and the impact on the entire state – be they economic, social or health related, and examine matters in a transparent way allowing input from the public.
“The appropriate time to conduct this inquiry is when the worst of this crisis is over, but there is nothing preventing the Government from committing to this important transparency measure.
“In Parliament today, it was disappointing to see Peter Gutwein back away from a Royal Commission and I am calling on him to commit to this process and reassure Tasmanians his Government will do all in its power to learn from this devastating incident and help Tasmanians in the recovery.”
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
