The final report to the Commonwealth Government COVID-19 Response Inquiry recommends a whole‑of‑government plan to improve domestic and international supply chain resilience. 

The report was delivered on Friday 25 October and follows 12 months of review and engagement, including more than 2200 public submissions and more than 20 roundtables with key sectors and communities. 

The ARA will engage with the Australian Department of Infrastructure (DITRDCA) to understand how relevant recommendations will be progressed and how the rail freight sector can be involved and represented, including in national exercises, and advocate for appropriate recognition of these outcomes to be reflected in the final National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy yet to be released. 

One of the guiding recommendations of the report is the establishment of a new national authority dedicated to disease prevention and control, the Australian Centre for Disease Control. 

Analysing the report from a supply chain perspective, it includes a medium-term recommendation to “develop a whole‑of‑government plan to improve domestic and international supply chain resilience” which reflects an appreciation of the unprecedented impacts on logistics – and thus business and community supplies – during COVID and the importance of being better equipped to respond to global disruptions in the future. 

The report also contains a section which considers leadership and coordination, with a guiding recommendation to “ensure the rapid mobilisation of a national governance structure for leaders to collaborate and support a national response that reflects health, social, economic and equity priorities.” It is positive to see the report so strongly recognises the need to include a broader analysis of consequences when making decisions on pandemic control measures, beyond just health impacts including economic and supply chain repercussions. 

The conclusions also emphasise the importance of building capability and frameworks with clearer roles and responsibilities for response to future pandemics, and then continuously investing in exercises to test and refine these.  

Finally, the report notes the importance of relationships and makes a guiding recommendation to “maintain formal structures that include a wide range of community and business representatives, and leverage these in a pandemic response alongside the use of temporary structures.” This will hopefully result in enduring forums within which critical supply chain partners, including rail freight operators, key freight customers, terminals operators, Ports, road freighters and others can participate such that planning can involve industry, and communication and troubleshooting can be managed more effective during times of emergency.