A prominent health expert who advised the Queensland government during the Covid-19 pandemic has broken his silence, admitting the state's drastic response frequently lacked common sense and compassion.
Professor Paul Griffin, the Infectious Diseases Director at Mater Hospital and a public advisor to former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, has revealed that the government was underprepared and did not always rely on proper expertise.
Confusion Over 'Captains' Calls'
Professor Griffin lifted the lid on the decision-making process, describing how 'captains' calls' made by Palaszczuk and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young often left medical experts baffled.
He told the Courier Mail that there were numerous instances where the health advice being announced was a mystery to the very experts advising the government. 'There were a lot of times when we heard the health advice, and we were all catching up regularly saying we didn't know where it was coming from,' he confessed.
He believes the then-Labor government lost sight of being sensible, pointing to policies that saw families locked out across the border and prevented from seeing dying relatives. He also highlighted rules that mandated people wear masks alone in their cars and the surreal sight of football players wiping down balls before throwing them back into play.
Damaging AstraZeneca Comments
One of Professor Griffin's most significant criticisms was directed at Dr Young's public advice in 2021, which discouraged under-40s from receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine shortly after it became available.
At the time, Dr Young stated, 'I don't want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got COVID, probably wouldn't die.' She added that she did not need to ask young, healthy people to put their health at risk.
Professor Griffin believes these comments were profoundly damaging. 'I understand there were some good intentions there, but we know with the way things are shared on social media, if you make a damaging comment you can never take it away,' he said.
A Legacy of Difficulty and Debate
Reflecting on the six years since the pandemic began, Professor Griffin conceded the government 'didn't get it perfectly right' and were unprepared for the novel virus. While he has no regrets about his high-profile role, he acknowledged facing public criticism.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has previously defended the tough decisions, admitting in a 2024 interview that not everything was perfect but standing by the outcome. She emphasised that the measures were not made lightly and pointed to the state's low death toll of just seven before borders reopened as evidence the strategy worked, despite the immense difficulty for families.
Professor Griffin's revelations provide a stark insight into the internal confusion and top-down decision-making that characterised one of the most challenging periods in Queensland's recent history.
