Scathing Report into Australia’s COVID-19 Response Forces State Leaders to Defend Pandemic Measures

(From L to R) Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan at a press conference after a National Cabinet meeting at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on June 17, 2022. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Australian state and territory leaders—many of whom pursued a zero-COVID or tough suppression strategy—defended their policy response amid the release of a new report calling the country’s COVID-19 measures “excessive” and “harsh.”

The report, ‘Fault lines: An Independent Review into Australia’s Response to COVID-19,’ was also critical of school closures, aged care response and warned there could be long-term mental health consequences.