While it has been far from flawless, Australia’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic has been commendable. Certainly, the health and economic outcomes have been among the best in the world.

There are, nevertheless, many areas that have not worked well and these should be identified and solutions developed. The current pandemic is not over, and improvements should be made to the management of any further COVID-19 outbreaks as well as to our preparedness for future pandemics and similar disruptions.

One area that has been responsible for considerable confusion is the myriad of rules, regulations, guidelines and advice across the federation. Businesses and other organisations that operate in more than one state and territory have found it particularly difficult to inform themselves about, and comply with the variety of different approaches.

Ai Group recognises there have been very different experiences (e.g. levels of infections) at various times across different states and territories and different regions within these jurisdictions. Accordingly, we are not suggesting a uniform national response to each outbreak. Rather, when responses are put in place, as much as possible, the same definitions, rules and regulations should govern the measures that are put in place.