Commonwealth Government COVID-19 Response Inquiry
Making a submission to the Commonwealth Government COVID-19 Response Inquiry
The Prime Minister has announced an inquiry into Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to “improve Australia’s preparedness for future pandemics”.
The closing date for submissions is 15 December 2023.
Individuals can make a submission - this is an excellent opportunity to raise your voice, and inform the government of your lived experience of the pandemic.
There is a 3-page limit on submissions.
You don’t have to address all the Terms of Reference (what the inquiry is looking into), just those that are important to you.
Don’t recycle an old submission unless updated
We’ve provided some prompts to help you begin your submission and avoid “blank page” writer’s block. Answer the prompts that are relevant to you, your family, your community, your workplace etc, and write your answer. A sentence or two, a couple of paragraphs – anything is a worthwhile contribution. And please, if any of this is confusing, please reach out.
For any other enquiries relating to the COVID-19 Response Inquiry please contact COVID-19Inquiry@pmc.gov.au
Prompts to help write your submission
Access the prompts…
Tips for writing your submission
Don’t be intimidated. Think of it as writing a letter to a loved one to tell them your experience - written from the heart, and in your own words. It can be as long (up to 3 pages) or short as you can manage - even just a few sentences can be incredibly useful and informing!
You might like to talk about gaps in the Federal government's response as well as measures that worked well or were useful to you.
Choose the prompt/s that apply to you personally and skip the ones you don’t want to address, ready to submit (remembering the 3-page limit).
Fill out the form, attach your submission, choose your privacy preference and submit.
Don’t include sensitive, personal or commercial in confidence information
Do not include discriminatory content, foul or offensive language or refer to matters currently before a court
There is a maximum of 5 files with a 10 MB limit in total for all files combined. Anything in excess of this limit will not be received.
Only include Microsoft Word (.docx) files or PDF files produced from a Word document or similar text based software.
Click here to make your submission.
How to lodge your submission
Choose the prompt/s that apply to you personally and skip the ones you don’t want to address, ready to submit (remembering the 3-page limit).
Fill out the form, attach your submission, choose your privacy preference and submit.
Click here to make your submission.
Read more
For any other enquiries relating to the COVID-19 Response Inquiry please contact COVID-19Inquiry@pmc.gov.au
Support
If these questions have caused distress, the following services can provide support:
Lifeline provides 24-hour crisis counselling, support groups and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14, text on 0477 13 11 14 (12pm to midnight AEST) or chat online.
Beyond Blue aims to increase awareness of depression and anxiety and reduce stigma. Call 1300 22 4636, 24 hours/7 days a week, chat online or email
Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free 24/7 confidential and private counseling service specifically for children and young people aged 5 – 25. Call 1800 55 1800.
13YARN 13 92 76 24-hr national support line for First Nations people in crisis
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 24-hour counselling service for suicide prevention and mental health
Available via telephone, online and by video chat.
1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 24-hr counselling service for sexual assault, family and domestic violence.