Summarised by Centrist

Australians are unlikely to again accept the harsh COVID restrictions imposed during the pandemic, a government-appointed inquiry reveals. 

Columnist John Roskam argues that “bullies are always to be found where there are cowards,” suggesting a climate where fear ruled. Government leaders and media,  influenced by China’s pandemic measures, enforced a strict, unaccountable regime, keeping Australians compliant through fear. As a result, public trust has eroded and has lost faith in blanket mandates and restrictions.

The Albanese government’s COVID inquiry, led by former NSW public servant Robyn Kruk, epidemiologist Catherine Bennett, and economist Angela Jackson, found that government actions fuelled inflation through excessive money printing in 2021 and 2022. 

This response included the Homebuilder programme, which drove up housing prices, and an untargeted JobKeeper, which “contributed to inflationary pressures coming out of the pandemic.”

Australians also face a future dominated by a central “trusted” authority. The report strongly backs the establishment of an Australian Centre for Disease Control, intended as an authoritative source on public health information. Yet former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth warns that creating such a single, centralised entity risks enforcing “groupthink” and discourages public dissent. 

The report’s findings suggest that Australians are “naive” about health data complexities, justifying the need for government-managed “truth” in future crises. 

Meanwhile, former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, who enforced lockdowns, has been appointed chair of a youth mental health charity—a move Jeff Kennett, Beyond Blue founder, calls “absurd.” 

Read more over at The Australian Financial Review and The Noticer