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Schools should have stayed open, lockdowns and border closures were too harsh and older Australians weren't protected well enough, an independent report into Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has concluded.
The pandemic exposed the cracks in our systems "like hand sanitiser in a paper cut", the report stated.
The independent review into the pandemic said economic supports were not provided fairly and equitably.
The report - Fault Lines: An independent review
into Australia's response
to COVID-19
- was funded by some of Australia's wealthiest people, including mining magnate Andrew Forrest, investment banker John Wylie and the foundation started by late private hospital CEO Paul Ramsay.
The absence of urgently provided adequate sick leave was mentioned specifically.
"This was unfair on those workers, helped the virus to spread and cost lives," the report said.
"Excluding migrants and international students from economic supports put people in danger."
The report stated the absence of effective economic supports during lockdown contributed to the labour force challenges today.
The lack of a clawback mechanism for businesses supported by JobKeeper was "fiscally irresponsible and unfair", the report said.
The review also stated that lockdowns should have been used as a last resort.
"Too many of Australia's lockdowns and border closures were the result of policy failures in quarantine, contact tracing, testing, disease surveillance and communicating effectively the need for preventative measures like mask wearing and social distancing," the report stated.
"Localised outbreaks were inevitable. Statewide and nationwide outbreaks were not."
Politics played a role in the lockdowns, the report said.
It also stated schools should have stayed open.
"It was sensible to close schools where there was an outbreak and when little was known about how the virus spread," the report said.
"But it was wrong to close entire school systems, particularly once new information indicated that schools were not high-transmission environments."
"For children and parents (particularly women), we failed to get the balance right between protecting health and imposing long-term costs on education, mental health, the economy and workforce outcomes."
The review also stated the aged care sector was inadequately funded and the labour force was stretched.
"The decision to restrict aged care residents from going to hospital when they contracted COVID-19 was a mistake that cost lives," the report said.
"Restrictions on visits to aged care homes, long past the end of the outbreak, caused unnecessary pain and distress."
The report called for the establishment of an Australian Centre for Disease Control, like the one in the United States.
Pandemic plans ought to be wide-ranging and consider trade-offs with decisions.
A panel of experts and representatives should be established to advise governments and national cabinet, including business leaders, union reps, local government and the community.
The report also said the modelling and evidence used in the government's decision-making should be publicly released.
The panel conducting the report consulted 350 people, including senior public servants, community and union leaders, business leaders and academics.
Australia was ahead of the OECD average for COVID-19 cases per million people, with nearly all our cases in 2022.
But excess deaths were incredibly low in Australia compared to the rest of the world.
Australia remains one of the most vaccinated countries on Earth.
The most triple vaccinated countries on Earth