This story might equally be called Covid’s Original Sin. Or, perhaps, Australia – Barnaby’s Part in Its Downfall (with apologies to Spike Milligan).

For it was Barnaby Joyce who introduced and oversaw the 2014-15 legislation that later formed the basis of Australia’s worst-in-breed policy response to the alleged Covid pandemic which hit these shores in early 2020.

He did so with Tony Abbott as his Prime Minister and Peter Dutton his Health Minister colleague (Sussan Ley was the Health Minister by the time the legislation became law).

A Spectator Australia colleague has noted the Coalition’s rampant inability to perceive unintended consequences when implementing policies with narrowly...