Independent review into the North West COVID-19 outbreak

AMA Tasmania President Professor John Burgess welcomes today's release by the Tasmanian Government of the draft Terms of Reference for the Independent Review into the North West COVID-19 outbreak.

AMA Tasmania has been proactive in our advocacy and support for an independent inquiry and in the lead up to today's announcement have held highly productive discussions with the government regarding how the review should be framed. The findings of the inquiry will enable the Tasmanian community and government to learn deeply from the experience and to better prepare for the future.

Professor Burgess added, “we know moving forward, the results of this inquiry will be critical for informing the governance and Public Health policy and process reforms required to prevent a similar outbreak occurring in the future.

Further, we strongly urge all front-line health staff, public and private sector health care workers, and the community in general, to fully participate in the inquiry, as this is not about apportioning blame but rather constructively learning from what has transpired.

We congratulate the Premier for his willingness to progress this inquiry and for the spirit of collaboration and learning in which this has occurred.”