The public health measures introduced during the peak emergency period of the COVID-19 years and how they impacted local business operations have been examined by a special team, who say good relationships between government and industry are key during such a crisis.

Last week inquiry chair Robyn Kruk led a roundtable, including members from the members from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to discuss the ways government response measures affected business during the pandemic.

Among the concerns ventilated by the business world was a worry that as key people who served in “pivotal roles” during the pandemic moved on to other work, the public service was losing capability.

Stakeholders said they felt that the lessons learnt from the pandemic have quickly fallen away. There was also a strong sentiment that relationships developed between the government and industry have dissipated since the pandemic.

In a summary of the roundtable talks, the inquiry conveyed a broad view that the relationship between government and business was not so strong and the worsening of some conditions since the pandemic has made it harder for Australia to have supply chain resilience.

“Stakeholders felt that the lessons learnt from the pandemic have quickly fallen away,” the inquiry said.

“There was also a strong sentiment that relationships developed between the government and industry have dissipated since the pandemic.”

Trust and transparency were some of the top issues discussed, particularly with respect to how emergency setting decisions were being made and what data was being relied on to make these choices. This applied equally to government decisions that interrupted business and supported it.

“While stakeholders acknowledged that robust data and evidence is not always possible from the outset of policy design in a crisis, they felt that reviews should have been undertaken to improve policy design at various points throughout the pandemic,” the summary read, explaining where government failed to share central data it was left to organisations to communicate to staff what was expected of them.

“The lack of clear, coordinated communication from the government during the pandemic resulted in peak bodies having to interpret and disseminate public health messaging to their members.”

The inquiry also noted that transparency improved the government’s social licence and was highly valued by stakeholders.

“Trusted networks and productive relationships across and between government and industry are one of the most important aspects of an effective response in a crisis.

“Businesses and individuals are more likely to comply with public health orders when they can understand the factors that informed decisions,” the summary read.

With respect to the appropriateness of targeted measures to buoy certain industries, the roundtable also criticised available data and evidence underpinning support measures.

“Stakeholders felt that many of these measures did not demonstrate an understanding of the industry that they were designed to support,” the summary read.

“JobKeeper disincentivised workforce participation in some industries. Some businesses reported that workers who were able to claim JobKeeper were not incentivised to work, as they could receive the same benefits staying home as they would if they worked.”

Private sector stakeholders also told the inquiry they wanted an effective mechanism for review and feedback on policy decisions during crises. Without proper review processes, some measures were allowed to continue that in the view of the group were not effective and in fact detrimental to businesses.

“Industry stakeholders were disappointed by the lack of review processes in place for public health measures,” the inquiry noted.

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