WA ‘vindicated’ over Covid borders, vax mandates
WA had a lower Covid fatality rate and far stronger economic growth than the rest of the nation.
Western Australia’s handling of the pandemic, including its border closures and sweeping vaccination mandates, has been largely praised in an independent review.
The review, led by former Liberal minister John Day, former WA Department of Arts chief executive Margaret Seares and former Australian Competition & Consumer Commission deputy chair Michael Schaper concluded WA had been a “world leader in maintaining both low case numbers and a strong economy” throughout the pandemic.
“The state was nearly Covid-zero in the first two years of the pandemic, the economy grew across all sectors, and schools remained open. The success of WA’s Covid-19 management and response reflects the efforts of the WA government and how tirelessly healthcare professionals and the wider public service worked to protect West Australians,” the review found.
The review, announced by WA’s then-premier Mark McGowan when the state of emergency was lifted last October, examined the state’s management and response, including its pandemic planning and the effectiveness of the public health levers pulled.
WA cut itself off from the rest of the country for the best part of two years as part of its “island within an island” strategy, while instituting the nation’s broadest vaccination mandates as part of its efforts to lift vaccination rates before the borders came down and the number of cases in the state rose.
The review found WA had experienced a Covid fatality rate of 0.074 per cent, less than half the national average of 0.174 per cent.
The state’s economic growth outpaced that of the rest of the country, reflecting in large part its ability to keep its mining industry operating throughout.
WA Premier Roger Cook, who was the state’s health minister for the bulk of the period under review, said the report was vindication for the government’s handling of the crisis.
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