The committee's remit was deliberately broad, empowering it to examine health, economic, social, and administrative aspects of the pandemic response, as well as any related matters that arose. This breadth, combined with the urgency of the moment, made the committee one of the most active and visible oversight bodies in modern parliamentary history.

Over its two‑year life, the committee held an unusually high number of public hearings—often weekly or fortnightly—questioning senior officials from across the public service, including the Departments of Health, Treasury, Home Affairs, and the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Many of these hearings were conducted via videoconference during lockdowns. The committee’s persistence in seeking information led to repeated disputes over public interest immunity claims, highlighting the tension between executive confidentiality and parliamentary accountability during an unfolding emergency.

The committee’s work produced a substantial public record, including multiple interim reports and a comprehensive final report tabled in April 2022. These documents traced the evolution of the national response, identifying systemic weaknesses in preparedness, coordination, aged care, vaccine procurement and rollout, and communication. While the committee’s findings were often sharply critical, they also provided one of the most detailed cross‑portfolio examinations of crisis governance ever undertaken by the Senate.

Although the committee concluded in April 2022, its influence extended beyond its formal lifespan. Many of the issues it identified—particularly around aged care, national coordination, and the vaccine rollout—were later echoed in the 2024 Independent COVID‑19 Response Inquiry. In this way, the committee served as an early and sustained parliamentary examination of the crisis, shaping the national conversation and providing a foundation for later reviews.