Labor has called for the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the independent inquiry into the COVID-19 outbreak in the state’s North West to be widened to include the whole state.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said the current scope of the inquiry is too limited to provide adequate scrutiny of Tasmania’s preparedness for a pandemic and the social, economic and health response to COVID-19.
“As we have stated in our submission on the ToR for the North West inquiry, Labor supports the examination of the health response in the region,” Ms White said.
“But, while the vast majority of COVID-19 cases were contained to the North West, there were confirmed cases across the state, with the resulting restrictions touching on all parts of our community and economy.
“The scope of the review must be expanded to include the four major hospitals – the Royal Hobart, the Launceston General, the North West Regional and the Mersey Community Hospitals, along with the three major regions, to ensure all aspects of preparedness and response can be reviewed.
“Labor maintains that a Royal Commission is needed to examine the impact on our health system, businesses and the broader community across the entire state so we can learn all the lessons from this crisis and prepare for any future pandemic.
“A Royal Commission would also have the appropriate powers and protections to gather evidence, hear from witnesses and make authoritative recommendations to Government to inform the long recovery process.
“It is vital that health workers feel safe to provide evidence that clearly sets out what happened in the lead up to, and during, the North West outbreak.
“I again urge the Premier to grant immunity to public servants to participate in the inquiry so that important learnings are not lost.
“The families of Tasmania’s 13 victims of COVID-19 deserve a full, frank and thorough inquiry into Tasmania’s response. With the pandemic still raging overseas and on Australian shores, it is critical that we have robust findings to ensure that we learn as much as we can to prevent such an outbreak happening again in the future.”
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
