Inquiry hears Australia’s Public Health workforce needs to be bolstered to cope with future COVID challenges

Politicians are questioning whether Tasmania’s border restrictions should continue until a vaccine is developed, as an inquiry hears the harsh measures were necessary to protect the state and prevent the health system being overwhelmed.

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AUSTRALIA’S containment of coronavirus is a near miracle and ongoing Tasmanian border closures were justified to mitigate the chance of a second wave and a stretched health system, a Public Accounts Committee hearing into the state’s COVID-19 response has heard.

The Public Health Association of Australia’s chief executive Terry Slevin said Tasmania’s advantage of having a moat and a hard border policy had so far largely shielded the state from the worst effects of the killer virus.

“This is a virus that’s been known to us for about nine months, and it’s been the biggest assault on the health of humans for 100 years,’’ he told the committee.

“The fact we’ve got to this stage is close to a miracle. It’s been assisted by our natural environment, our natural advantages, the moat around Australia, the moat around Tasmania and the ability to shut airports.”

Terry Slevin, CEO of Public Health Association of Australia. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Slevin said for the most part, the country’s efforts to contain the virus had been successful and even Victoria, despite its significant recent outbreak, was doing better than most jurisdictions around the world to contain COVID-19.

But he said the country’s Public Health workforce should be bolstered because the battle against the disease was far from over.

Committee member, Labor MP David O’Byrne, asked if the answer was further border restrictions until a vaccine was available.

“It’s the multimillion-dollar question,’’ he said.

Labor MP David O'Byrne listening at the public accounts committee hearings into Tasmania's response to COVID-19. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

The association’s Tasmanian branch president Kim Jose said state border closures had worked to not only containing the virus, but preventing the overwhelming of the health system.

“We can’t magic up a workforce and we can’t magic up the skills and expertise and capacity,’’ she said.

“Even though in Tasmania it might appear that we don’t have COVID now, there’s a lot of work being done behind the scenes.”

Dr Jose said the state was employing more epidemiologists and was investing in software to support contact tracing.

She agreed with a suggestion from another committee member, Windermere MLC Ivan Dean, that the mental health impacts of lockdowns needed to be better understood.

The committee also heard from TT Line chief executive Bernard Dwyer, who said the Spirit of Tasmania had endured an 85 per cent decrease in passenger revenue from April to June.

“We were running a record year up until the pandemic happened,’’ he said.

But he said there was a silver lining, saying the reduced number of passenger vehicles enabled more freight to be shipped.

TT Line CEO Bernard Dwyer and Michael Ferguson MP during a press conference. Picture Chris Kidd

“We have never carried more freight than we are now,’’ he said. “The freight volumes are just astounding.”

Mr Dwyer said TT-Line was able to pull “a lot of levers” to cut costs, including sailing at a slower speed to reduce fuel costs, and having staff take annual leave rather than standing them down.

Tas ICT president Martin Anderson told the committee that the federal government’s COVIDSafe app had been largely ineffective.

“It hasn’t contributed to community safety. It certainly didn’t help with contact tracing as far as I am aware,’’ he said.

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