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One Nation has since last year been urging the establishment of a Royal Commission into the management of the COVID-19 pandemic by all Australian governments. Following the Federal election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that such a Royal Commission would be held and that it should inquire into the response to the pandemic by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments. Mr Albanese has not yet committed to a time for the Royal Commission to begin, however One Nation believes it should be held as soon as possible.

One of the most important steps in starting a Royal Commission is to establish its terms of reference. The terms of reference define the scope of the inquiry and what information is to be sought from submissions and witnesses, and they are usually set out in an ‘instrument’ (a letter from the Prime Minister to the Governor-General requesting that a Royal Commission be established).

One Nation has developed comprehensive DRAFT terms of reference for this Royal Commission, aimed at capturing all the information the Australian people must have about their governments’ response to COVID-19. However, we want to hear from YOU. We’d like to ask you to have a look at our DRAFT terms of reference, and we’d welcome your input on them along with any other ideas that YOU have about the terms of reference for this Royal Commission.

The Prime Minister may be willing to wait, but One Nation is not. We want to know what YOU think the Royal Commission into the pandemic should be investigating. We want to know what all Australians think about these terms of reference, because every single one of us was affected in some way by this pandemic.

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Terms of Reference

Draft terms

…appoint you to be a Commission of inquiry, and require and authorise you to inquire into the following matters:

1. The Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments’ response to COVID-19;
2. The role of, and issues relating to, Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments entities in providing timely, accurate and open publication of data relating to the COVID-19 immunisations approval, rollout and treatments;
3. Any issues related to the legislative and policy frameworks governing and or administered by the Department of Health, Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation or any other Commonwealth, State or Territory entities relating to the immunisation approval and rollout including (without limiting the scope of the inquiry or recommendations):
   1. The management of any real or perceived conflicts of interest;
   2. The impact on the fiduciary doctor patient relationship;
   3. The impact on existing and ongoing medical ethics obligations;
4. The role of and issues relating to non-government organisations involved in the immunisation approval and rollout including (without limiting the scope of the inquiry or recommendations):
   1. Private sector immunisation mandates;
   2. Aged Care;
5. The economic impact of Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments’ response to COVID-19 including (without limiting the scope of the inquiry or recommendations):
   1. On small business;
   2. On employment;
6. The role of the media and its influence in relation to the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments’ response to COVID-19 including (without limiting the scope of the inquiry or recommendations):
   1. The media and communications strategy of Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments’:
      1. response to COVID-19;
      2. Immunisation approval and rollout;
7. The establishment, role, status and effectiveness of the National Cabinet;
8. The reliance of Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments on expert advice and the accuracy, appropriateness and transparency of that advice;
9. Systemic issues and any common themes regarding the impact of the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments’ response to COVID-19 on public trust in institutions, democratic process and Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments;
10. The role of international agencies and their effectiveness;
11. The compatibility of Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments’ response to COVID-19 with human rights in Australian and International Law;
12. The role of and any issues relating to the use of the Australian Defence Force in relation to the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments’ response to COVID-19 including (without limiting the scope of the inquiry or recommendations) its use in:
    1. Aged Care;
    2. Logistics and planning support;
    3. Quarantine;
    4. Attachment to police.