Epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett will jointly lead a 12-month federal inquiry into Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with a health economist and a former director-general of NSW Health.

Announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the inquiry will look at the provision of vaccinations and treatments, support for those impacted by lockdowns and assistance for Australians abroad.

Some 23,000 Australians died during the pandemic.

However, the inquiry’s terms of reference specifically exclude “actions taken unilaterally by state and territory governments” or the assistance given to foreign countries.