COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report

Publicly released: Tue 29 Oct 2024 at 1629 AEDT | Tue 29 Oct 2024 at 1829 NZDT

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-covid-19-response-inquiry-repor

The Federal Government has released the report from the independent inquiry into Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report includes nine guiding recommendations that are aligned with nine pillars of a successful pandemic response. The report identifies 19 immediate actions for the next 12-18 months, and a further seven medium-term actions prior to the next national health emergency. Below, Australian experts comment on the report.

Organisation/s: Australian Science Media Centre

Funder: None

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pixabay

Expert Reaction

These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.

Katina Michael is the inaugural program director of the MBA (Technology and Digital Strategy) at The University of Sydney Business School

What happened to the QR code data gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic; and for what it's worth the COVIDSafe data also gathered? We still don't know exactly. We can only speculate it was destroyed. We can only have privacy by design when we know where our data is being stored, and how it is being stored, and who has access to it.

This inquiry has done well to speculate that we need better technical infrastructure preparedness before a future critical event happens nationally or internationally, but it has provided limited information on timeframes and when that investment might take place. Yes, privacy, trust and human rights need to be emphasized but I would also add the mention of the co-design methodology has to be more prevalent in building new complex sociotechnical systems using a human-centered approach with citizens and not for them.

Too much tech fails because the end-users and other stakeholders are completely ignored. Let's not let that happen again at a national scale for large-scale technical systems that are supposed to serve the public interest and national security.

Last updated:  30 Oct 2024 9:27am