Senator Ralph Babet has been uncharacteristically quiet since the Senate report into excess mortality, an inquiry he was chief instigator of, found the vast majority of recent unaccounted deaths were due to Covid-19 and not vaccines.

The report went on to lambast him for his conduct throughout the inquiry.

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee launched its inquiry into why nearly 20,000 people above the baseline number died in 2022, concluding that the main cause was Covid, while also calling for greater data integrity and a compensation scheme for those injured by vaccines.

The report also took aim at Babet for editing parts of the Senate inquiry broadcast, which it stated led to some witnesses receiving threatening messages.

“In the video, the testimony of witnesses from the Department of Health and Aged Care, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare had been manipulated. Questions posed to witnesses from committee member, Senator Louise Pratt, had also been edited,” the report said.

“The committee notes that the edits in the video material were misleading as they gave the impression that witnesses were unable to answer questions.”

Members of those organisations wrote to the chair of the committee, Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne, and said that “some of Senator Babet’s followers posted threatening statements towards officials whose official evidence was misrepresented in the edited social media posts”.

“For example, statements included reference to hunting (witnesses) down and ensuring they are ‘shown the gallows’,” the report said.

“This was distressing for witnesses and has the potential to cause harm.”

Since the release of the report, Babet has not commented or posted about it online.

Babet was contacted for comment.

Findings

The report found that Australia’s life expectancy is the third highest in the world, but heart issues, diabetes and dementia – linked to Australia’s ageing population – had an impact on excess mortality.

Despite this, it found that the excess mortality in Australia was significantly lower than in other countries around the world, and the trend of increased death was a “global phenomenon”.

The report also recommended that the Australian government considers introducing “a no-fault compensation scheme for Commonwealth-funded vaccines in response to a future pandemic event”.

“The committee’s attention was drawn to the small number of individuals who suffer adverse events following immunisation, and the compensation to which they are entitled,” the report said.

“It would be prudent to review existing compensation arrangements for individuals who have sustained injuries following vaccinations and explore the benefits of a no-fault compensation
scheme.”

The inquiry found that Australia should consider a no-fault scheme to compensate people injured by vaccines during future pandemics. Photo: AAP

It also argued for a stronger understanding of mortality rates within First Nations communities.

Dissenting view

In his dissenting report, attached to the final report, Babet accused the inquiry of suppressing submissions and stated, without evidence or fact, that Covid-19 vaccines were responsible for the rise in excess mortality.

Babet took aim at the fact that just 50 of the 187 submissions to the inquiry were made public, while 57 were considered confidential.

“The federal government must establish a royal commission to examine the Australian response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequential impacts on the Australian community,” he said.

“The federal government must pass legislation which prohibits vaccine mandates.”