Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the independent inquiry into how Australia managed the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 “should not be a source of conflict”.

It will examine the many elements of the national reaction to the pandemic, including the vaccination rollout, financial support for Australians and public health messaging, as well as a review of the 20 previous inquiries done into the COVID response.

However, the terms of reference explicitly exclude ‘unilateral’ decisions taken by state and territory governments in response to the pandemic.

The inquiry will be helmed by three experts including former director-general of the NSW Department of Health Robyn Kruck, Deakin University chair in epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett and health economist Dr Angela Jackson.

The panel will have until September 30, 2024, to deliver a report which the Prime Minister hopes will “ensure that the process of learning from the pandemic is constructive, rather than destructive”.

“We need to make sure that this is forward focused and consider all of the Commonwealth responses to the pandemic,” Albanese said today from SAHMRI on North Terrace.

The terms of reference include the provision of vaccinations, treatments and key medical supplies to Australians, mental health support for those impacted by COVID-19 and lockdowns, financial support for individuals and business, and assistance for Australians abroad.

“We want to make sure that its recommendations are fully understood,” the PM said.

“We know a lot of the things we need to do as a result of the pandemic; one of the things that I’ve stressed is we need greater economic resilience.

“We need a future made here in Australia. We’re vulnerable to shocks like a pandemic and there could be other shocks as well.”

However, the inquiry will not examine individual state and territory government decisions, nor Australia’s approach to international programs, including activities assisting foreign countries during the COVID outbreak.

Albanese had been under fire by some federal Opposition members for stopping short of calling a royal commission into the pandemic response.

When asked today in Adelaide about his decision, the Prime Minister said a royal commission would take too long to reach a conclusion.

“One of the things we’ve learned about royal commissions is that they can roll on and on for year after year,” he said.

“There have been 20 inquiries already and what we want to do is bring together that information and to consolidate the findings.

“What we have here is an inquiry that is led by a leading public servant who understands the way that the public sector works at Commonwealth and state levels, a leading health expert – Professor Bennett – and a leading health economist in Dr Jackson. That’s the information that we need going forward and Australians need to look forward on this.”

It comes after opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston warned any review without the power to compel state and territory leaders would be a “witch hunt”.

“It’s a protection racket for the states and territories and potentially a witch hunt on the previous coalition government,” she told FIVEaa this morning.

“So many of the decisions that impacted Australians so significantly during the pandemic were decisions of the states and territories.”

The PM stressed today that the independent inquiry model would be appropriate.

“What we’ve chosen is an independent inquiry to be run by three eminent Australians and the independent inquiry will be able to run their own show,” he said today.

“They will report back within a year because it’s reasonable as well that we have time frames.

“I think that accountability means that you announce the inquiry, you then have a report, you then have a response. That’s what we did with the royal commission into robodebt. That’s what we’re doing with this inquiry.”

The full terms of reference for the pandemic inquiry can be read here.

– with AAP