The Tasmanian Liberal Government has established an Independent Review into the North West COVID-19 outbreak, with  Greg Melick AO  SC appointed as the Independent Reviewer.

An expert working group has also now been established to advise the Independent Reviewer and includes members with extensive experience in public health, hospital administration, and public sector administration.

Today I’m pleased to announce the Working Group members are:

• Mr Greg Johannes (Assistant Reviewer): Mr Johannes was a long serving and highly regarded public servant who held the role of Deputy Secretary in both DPAC and the Department of Economic Development prior to taking on the role of Secretary, DPAC. He will bring an enormous wealth of knowledge, skills and experience in public administration to the working group.
• Ms Pat J Martin; Ms Martin has spent the last 9 years as a Health Management Consultant and has over 30 years’ experience working locally and overseas at various healthcare institutions, including the World Health Organisation and as Chief Executive Officer at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Ms Martin’s knowledge and experience in hospital administration will bring enormous value to the Review.
• Dr Roscoe Taylor: Dr Taylor spent 12 years as Tasmania’s Director of Public Health with a career in the public health system that spanned 25 years. Dr Taylor was a respected and trusted public figure and under his leadership Tasmania maintained strong national public health and prevention presence, often leading the way with new initiatives and systems.  Dr Taylor’s skills and experience in public health will be invaluable to the Review.

The Review will cover every aspect of the outbreak in the North West, including the actions and effectiveness of those actions taken in response.

Importantly, the Government’s view is that there will be no breach of the Code of Conduct committed by a State servant, acting in good faith, providing evidence, or producing material to the investigator”

The Independent Review is a vital component of our responsible and transparent approach to our response and management throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Review will help inform our future decisions and the steps we take as the pandemic continues to evolve.

The Report is expected to be delivered by the end of October 2020.