Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Patrick for his question and Senator Abetz for his interjection. The government continues, as we've acknowledged along the way, to manage the complicated responses to COVID-19. Those responses are complicated by the fact that it continues to be an evolving and changing situation. For example, had a royal commission of the nature that Senator Patrick proposes delivered interim reports and findings ahead of the omicron variant becoming established and becoming the dominant variant, it would probably have different recommendations at that stage to what it would have today, because that is the nature of the changing circumstance we face in handling a pandemic. There will probably be other changes to come.

We have certainly subjected ourselves to review and scrutiny throughout our responses to the pandemic—the committee that Senator Gallagher chairs being an important vehicle of that, along with the fact that all of the other mechanisms of scrutiny have continued to be in place. I have no doubt that there will be reviews when we are able to put the pandemic more squarely in the rear-view mirror and that those reviews will need to entail a cooperative approach between the Commonwealth, states and territories around how we best prepare ourselves for future uncertainty and future disasters.

But I would underline the word 'uncertainty' in that regard. The next major global disruption we face will, almost unquestionably, not be like the current one. Whilst there are lessons that we should continue to learn from this, I don't think anybody should pretend that a royal commission or any other particular inquiry will be a panacea to answer all questions for the future. (Time expired)