Covid pandemic royal commission refusal ‘a protection racket’, says Coalition

The Coalition has accused Anthony Albanese of running a ‘protection racket’ for Labor premiers after refusing to hold a royal commission into the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health Minister Mark Butler. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Coalition has accused Anthony Albanese of running a ­“protection racket” for Labor premiers after refusing to hold a royal commission into the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister and Health Minister Mark Butler are on Thursday expected to announce an inquiry into the handling the pandemic, but it will not have the investigative powers of a royal commission.

The inquiry will reportedly last for 12 months and be led by a panel of experts including an epidemiologist and an economist.

Before the election, Mr Albanese said there needed to be a royal commission or “some form of inquiry” into the handling of the pandemic. “It is beyond doubt that you will need an assessment. Whether that be a royal commission or some form of inquiry, that will need to happen,” he said ahead of the 2022 poll.

A month before the May 2022 election, a Labor-dominated parliamentary committee recommended “a royal commission be established to examine Australia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic to inform preparedness for future Covid-19 waves and future pandemics”.

Opposition Health spokeswoman Anne Ruston accused Mr Albanese of walking back on an “initial commitment” to hold a royal commission.

“In the absence of the states and territories being compelled to participate it looks like nothing more than a protection racket for the state premiers,” Senator Ruston said.

She said Australia was one of the best performing countries in the world throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“However, with the power of hindsight, we have the opportunity to explore how we could do things better if faced with similar challenges again and we should all be open to learning from the experience,” she said.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie said there was “no doubt in my mind” Mr Albanese fell short of announcing a royal commission into the management of the pandemic to protect Labor premiers, particularly Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

“They’re not delivering a royal commission and there’s only one reason why … and that’s because a royal commission into Covid would have to look at national cabinet, would have to look at that function to keep us all safe through a global pandemic,” she told Sky News on Wednesday night.

“But then look at the different jurisdictions’ reactions and that means seriously examining the ­actions of Premier Daniel Andrews.”.

Infectious disease expert Robert Booy said the inquiry was needed to investigate what the country could have done better.

“One might argue that some of our social-distancing approaches effectively locking people up in tower blocks was excessive and locking whole states down without compassion for people needing medical attention didn’t make sense either,” he told The Australian.

“An inquiry is a useful thing to do,” he said.

Professor Booy, a consultant to vaccine manufacturers and an honorary professor at the University of Sydney, said he didn’t believe a royal commission was necessary.

“It’s not as if there are any huge blunders that need to be unearthed or addressed,” Professor Booy said.

“For the first time in history we’ve had a preventive specific vaccine available for a new pandemic and in the main that probably prevented millions of deaths around the world and certainly thousands of deaths in Australia.”