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Morning mail: Coalition senators join calls for Covid inquiry, tensions over Russia, fears for fish stocks
Thursday: Liberal and National senators back opposition calls for an inquiry into Australia’s pandemic response. Plus: WA’s border closure causes ‘chaos’ for universities
Good morning. Government senators join calls for a Covid royal commission, anxiety over a possible Russian military offensive in Ukraine heightens, and international students fear limbo after Western Australia’s snap border decision.
Three Coalition senators have supported crossbench and opposition calls for a royal commission into Australia’s Covid pandemic response. Liberal Gerard Rennick, who has vowed to continue to withhold support for government legislation over the management of the pandemic, told Guardian Australia there “definitely needs to be a review into the way everything happened”, while National Matt Canavan said “all levels of government, not just the commonwealth” would need to submit evidence to any inquiry. A spokesperson for fellow National Sam McMahon has confirmed she also backed a royal commission. Labor’s Katy Gallagher added “there will have to be some assessment of all the decisions taken”, including accounting for $337bn in spending during the pandemic.
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