Dan Andrew's past decision is coming back to haunt him

• Greg Hunt was federal health minister during the Covid response  
• Wants more accountability for state leaders’ public health mandates
• READ MORE: Aussie cities with the highest wellbeing ranking  

Australia’s former health minister has slammed state and territory leaders who implemented their own rules during Covid outside of national cabinet agreements.

Greg Hunt, in a submission to the government’s inquiry into the Covid-19 response, has called for a new national code that would require premiers and chief ministers to publish the medical advice they are acting on when making public health mandates.

Mr Hunt urged the states to reaffirm their commitment to personal freedoms by agreeing to not make ‘unilateral decisions made against national cabinet decisions unless there is signed medical advice’.

The retired politician called out Victoria’s former premier Dan Andrews in particular for going it alone with tough rules as it battled the brunt of Australia’s Covid waves.

‘Unilateral decisions of some states outside of the national cabinet framework, such as Victoria’s curfews or 5km movement restrictions, were not the subject of Commonwealth advice,’ he said in his submission, reports The Australian.

He added that: ‘Nor to the best of my ­knowledge had the medical advice for such restrictions been released or affirmed at state level’.

Former Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured) said states and territories should have to publish the health advice the are using when making public health mandates

Mr Hunt, in a submission to the government’s inquiry into the Covid-19 response, singled out former Victorian premier Dan Andrews’ tough rules during lockdowns, like curfews and 5km travel restrictions

The Labor government announced last year its Inquiry into the Response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The inquiry is helmed by top bureaucrat Roby Kruk AO, Deakin University chair in Epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett and leading health economist Dr Angela Jackson.

The inquiry’s report is to be delivered by September 30.

The inquiry itself was slammed after it was announced because of its narrow terms of reference

The decisions of State and Territory leaders and advice of their chief medical officers are not under scrutiny.

Rather the inquiry will focus on broader public health issues such as quarantine and vaccine responses, economic impacts and the Morrison government’s actions.

It will have, however, look at the general effectiveness of the government response including division of responsibilities between state and federal government, how National Cabinet functioned and the role of advisory bodies.

Mr Hunt said publication of medical advice underpinning policy was standard in his government but was not a requirement with many states forgoing this step.

He is urging the inquiry to pursue a regulatory framework to standardise how public health mandates are decided upon.

Also of concern to Mr Hunt is the falling level of booster vaccinations, particularly in Indigenous communities, and a 164 per cent surge in Covid deaths in aged care facilities since 2022.

‘This indicates the need for … support in the form of PPE, infection control and training, workforce support and vaccination support for staff and residents,’ he said.

Mr Hunt said the Coalition’s decision to close the country’s border with China in early February, more than a month before it closed to other countries, was arguably the most important peacetime decision made by an Australian government.

Only a handful of other countries had already done so – against the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) who recommended increased border screening.

‘No country escaped unharmed; however, very few countries emerged with a lower loss of life and less economic damage than Australia.’

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