Premier Peter Gutwein announces independent review into North-West outbreak

The Premier has announced an independent review into the North-West coronavirus cluster – and revealed when a report by state officials will likely be released to the public.

AN INDEPENDENT investigation will be done into the circumstances of a deadly coronavirus outbreak in Tasmania’s North-West, Premier Peter Gutwein has announced.

It comes as the Premier also said a report done by state officials into the COVID-19 cluster would be released in full to the public, likely by the end of this week.

Labor and the Greens had called for the document – which was completed last week – to be made public after the State Government earlier failed to say when that would happen.

Premier Peter Gutwein at the daily COVID-19 briefing. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Mr Gutwein said the independent review had been called because the coronavirus pandemic was a state emergency, referencing similar investigations after major fire and flood events.

He said a “clean set of eyes” would look into the situation.

“We have done our very best in terms of these briefings, in terms of being open and transparent with the Tasmanian people as we’ve worked our way through this,” he said.

“But I also think that it’s important that they have confidence in the process.”

Mr Gutwein said the review would be done by an independent person or persons with appropriate qualifications, with terms of reference set to be drawn up.

“And I think in this particular circumstance there should be an independent review that’s conducted, and it should be conducted by people that are quite separate and dislocated from our health service and from Public Health,’’ he said.

Mr Gutwein did not give a time frame on when it would happen but hinted it could be pursued in the short to medium term.

“I am not convinced that this type of investigation and report needs to wait until the pandemic emergency concludes, but what I am absolutely convinced of is that it must be at a time that enables us to keep our senior people focused on what they are doing,’’ he said.

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Health Minister Sarah Courtney said she had not yet seen a copy of the report, but added she wanted the process of review by health officials to be conducted urgently.

“I have this morning asked the [Department of Health] secretary for the work to be done as quickly as possible,’’ she said.

“I want to see the report, I want that to be released to Tasmanians because I know there is significant interest, and we also would hope that through the body of work that’s being done, we will be able to take learnings from that.”

Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said he would not comment about the detail of the report, but reiterated that contact tracing had not found evidence of a rumoured “illegal dinner party” of health workers in the region.

There have been 140 cases of coronavirus confirmed in the North-West, making up two thirds of the state’s total of 212.