Since its emergence in late 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic that is impacting on human health and national economies. From January 2020 the Australian Government commenced the introduction of a range of policies and measures in response to the emergence of COVID-19 that included:

• travel restrictions, international border controls and quarantine arrangements;
• delivery of substantial economic stimulus, including financial support for affected individuals, businesses and communities; and
• support for essential services and procurement and deployment of critical medical supplies (including the national vaccine rollout).

After implementing initial country-specific travel restrictions in February and early-March 2020, Australian governments implemented a series of broad COVID-19 international travel restrictions from mid-March 2020 that remained in place in September 2021:

• restrictions on cruise ship arrivals to Australia (the cruise ship requirement);
• restrictions on foreign nationals entering Australia (the inward travel restrictions);
• restrictions on Australian citizens and permanent residents leaving Australia (the outward travel restrictions); and
• requirements for international arrivals to quarantine for 14 days at designated hotels or other facilities managed by state and territory governments (mandatory quarantine).

From April 2020 the Australian Government implemented two additional restrictions:

• caps on passenger arrival numbers at international airports from July 2020 to alleviate pressure on state hotel quarantine programs (international arrival caps); and
• restrictions on travel from India in May 2021 (the India travel pause).

The COVID-19 pandemic and the pace and scale of the Australian Government’s response impacts on the risk environment faced by the Australian public sector. This performance audit was conducted under phase two of the ANAO’s multi-year strategy that focuses on the effective, efficient, economical and ethical delivery of the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main conclusions:

• Management of Australia’s international travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic has been largely effective.
• Australia did not have a plan to implement international travel restrictions and mass quarantine in response to a pandemic as health experts had concluded that such measures were not effective. Subsequent decisions on implementing COVID-19 international travel restrictions have largely been informed by robust planning and policy advice.
• Arrangements established to manage Australia’s COVID-19 international travel restrictions have been largely effective. Adequate whole-of-government coordination and information sharing has occurred and strategies implemented to communicate travel restrictions have been appropriate. Arrangements established to manage the inward and outward travel restrictions and international arrival caps have largely been effective in achieving the Government’s policy intent.
• Home Affairs’ management of inward and outward travel exemptions has been partially effective. Home Affairs has developed largely appropriate policies and procedures for managing inward and outward travel exemptions, with the quality of these improving over time. However, policies and procedures have not been consistently complied with.