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The 868-page report outlined nine guiding recommendations and 26 actions, including 19 set for implementation over the next 12 to 18 months. These form the foundation for future pandemic preparedness.

With initial strong national solidarity, Australia acted quickly to close national borders, the inquiry found. This bought crucial time, but Australia was not adequately prepared for a crisis of the scale of the COVID pandemic.

Australia鈥檚 response lacked strong central co-ordination and leadership. Communication about public health advice was often conflicting or not appropriately communicated with the most vulnerable groups. Public trust was further undermined by a lack of transparency in decision-making, such as disease modelling, which underpinned important public health responses.

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In听, the inquiry concluded a fully fledged Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) could have made a huge difference. In response, the federal government today committed听听to establish such a centre in Canberra.

1. Early rapid response and consensus helped keep us safe.听As an inland nation, Australia was able to close its borders while preparing for the ultimate inevitable population-wide spread of SARS CoV-2. But it was unprepared for pandemic-related quarantines.

2. Initially, the communication was clear and consistent. This didn鈥檛 last.听Huge uncertainties, rapidly changing circumstances, differing opinions among experts and the politicisation of the response undermined communication strategies. Communication with听听and vulnerable populations groups were often听. In future, misinformation and disinformation needs to be addressed through improving health literacy and proactive communication.

3. Our health-care infrastructure was lacking and couldn鈥檛 cope with emergency surge capacity,听the inquiry found, although health-care workers 鈥減ulled together鈥� remarkably. Aged care facilities were听听and had poor infection-control practices. More broadly, there were supply chain issues and inadequate stockpiles of essential infection prevention and control equipment, such as masks and gloves. Australia was unable to manufacture these and was left at the mercy of foreign providers.

4. Analysing the genetic material of the virus and widespread testing were critical to tracking viral evolution and spread.听听in New South Wales and Victoria, for instance,听听of virus variants and local transmission. But there was poor exchange of data between jurisdictions and limited national coordination to optimise data interpretation and response.

5. Transparent, evidence-based decision-making was lacking.听听that informed key decisions听听and not open to scrutiny or peer review.

6. Vulnerable populations, including children, suffered disproportionately.听COVID-related school closures were particularly harmful as they affected learning, socialising and development, and disproportionately听听from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Strict social isolation also increased the risk of听, along with anxiety and other mental health impacts. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people听听higher risks due to the inequity of service provision and the social determinants of health.

7. Research is important and should be rapidly scalable.听Good surveillance systems for emerging infectious diseases and future pandemic threats should be in place. Patient specimens need to be stored so we can rapidly explore the mechanisms of disease and develop essential diagnostic tests. The inquiry recognised the need for Australia to develop its own vaccines and for access to mRNA technology was recognised as an important health security measure, given听.

8. Global solidarity and co-operation create a safer word for all.
The stark听,听听in international relationships and still complicate the drafting of a global pandemic treaty.

9. Emerging diseases with a One Health focus should be recognised as a 鈥榮tanding threat鈥�. In our modern interconnected world, with highly concentrated human and animal populations combined with stressed ecosystems, new diseases with pandemic potential will continue to emerge at an unprecedented rate. This requires a gobal focus.

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One of the inquiry鈥檚 key take-home messages is that the lack of strong, independent, central co-ordination hampered our pandemic response.

The inadequate flow of data between jurisdictions were major shortcomings that limited the ability to target responses. This is needed to understand:

• transmission dynamics
• the vulnerabilities in those with severe disease
• the circulating viral variants.

The inquiry also emphasised the need to analyse data in near real time.

Good data drive evidence-informed and transparent policy. This is a crucial area for a听. The CDC will function as a 鈥渄ata hub鈥�, with Canberra offering the ideal location supporting a multi-jurisdictional 鈥渉ub-and-spoke鈥� model.

Australia鈥檚 new CDC is expected to be launched by听, pending legislation approval. The ongoing challenge will be to ensure it delivers optimal long-term health benefits for all Australians.

This article was originally published in The Conversation as:听Australia鈥檚 COVID inquiry shows why a permanent 鈥榗entre for disease control鈥� is more urgent than听ever. By Dr听,听Associate Director, Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID), Faculty of Medicine and Health,听University of Sydney听and听Ben Marais, Professor; Director Sydney ID, University of Sydney

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