25 SEPTEMBER, 2023
Who: Charles Darwin University COVID-19 quarantine expert Angela Sheedy, published the open access resource pandemic quarantine facility guide developed through research into the Centre for National Resilience, Howard Springs Quarantine Facility.
Topics:
- The inquiry will cover a broad range of COVID-19 responses, including population health measures and support, governance and core responses such as the vaccination rollout.
- The inquiry is primarily focussed on the Commonwealth response and will not include actions taken unilaterally by state and territory governments.
- Will Australia’s health workforce feature in the inquiry?
Contact details: Call +61 8 8946 6043 or email media@cdu.edu.au to arrange an interview.
Quotes attributable to Ms Angela Sheedy:
“This inquiry is a great move for Australia, there is much to be learned from our response to COVID-19 and we owe it to all the health staff and frontline workers to ensure we are better prepared for next time.”
“COVID-19 tested the resilience of all health systems and workforces, and it is important we learn more about what worked, acknowledge the successes but also learn from the mistakes to increase Australia’s capacity to respond in the event of another pandemic. This inquiry looks to scope the response from the Commonwealth level though, and it would be good to also delve into the state and territory responses, where the actual work was being carried out. This would potentially have more impact on practical steps for ‘how to’ next time.”
“The inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic response will provide a great opportunity to highlight the Northern Territory’s quarantine service the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs Quarantine Facility. This service and its workforce were a great asset during the pandemic with no record of COVID-19 transmission for the duration of its operation. As this was largely Commonwealth funded it will feature in the inquiry.”
“The terms of reference have not specifically mentioned Australia’s health workforce and how the pandemic impacted this. I would hope this is to be included as this workforce formed the core response with states and territories reliant on their resilience and contribution.”
“As the experts tell us, it is a matter of when not if regarding another pandemic. I look forward to seeing how the inquiry progresses and welcome any investment our government commits to ensure we are better prepared for next time.”
Contact details:
Raphaella Saroukos she/her
Communications Officer
Marketing, Media & Communications
Larrakia Country
T: +61 8 8946 6721
E: media@cdu.edu.au
W: cdu.edu.au
