COVID-19 emboldened federal and state governments to impose extraordinary restrictions on Australians’ rights as citizens. At least some of those decisions, particularly in hindsight, were overreactions that were driven more by political panic and fear of the unknown than by policy logic or evidence.

But these decisions were still shared with the public, even when announced by diktat. A largely compliant nation mostly obeyed the rules despite rising complaints about unfair or excessive application and increasing evidence that many restrictions were counter-productive or ineffective.