Australia’s Covid response should be examined by royal commission, Senate inquiry recommends

Senate inquiry finds decisions during first wave of Covid pandemic had ‘catastrophic consequences’. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Australia needs a royal commission into the Covid response and should consider new laws to crack down on medical misinformation, the Senate’s Covid committee has recommended.

In its final report, released on Thursday, the Labor-chaired committee called for greater transparency, including releasing decisions of Australia’s health advisers and the secretive national Covid commission, which called for a gas-led economic recovery.