That stalwart of Australia’s pandemic response, the National COVID-19 Commission, is no more.
Morrison put the commission out of its misery yesterday, declaring the “crisis management” phase of the pandemic over (even as thousands of Australians remained stranded in virus-ravaged India).
I want to thank the chair of the board, Mr Nev Power, and each of the current and former commissioners for their work. They answered the call for their country when they were needed and have worked hard to support the government’s plans for managing the virus and economic recovery.
The board provided a real-time business perspective on critical aspects of our COVID-19 response. [They] helped businesses safely reopen with COVIDSafe plans, and provided a business perspective to help inform our policies for economic recovery.