The federal opposition will spend most of the next year exploring pandemic recovery, with findings by its new task force likely to influence its election campaign.

The pandemic recovery job and industry task force, which Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters is chairing, aims to provide its first interim report by August 2021.

Its final report and recommendations are due before the end of that year.

"I truly hope the government picks up some of our ideas as we make recommendations," Ms Chesters said.

"In the absence of government doing that, there are opportunities for Labor to take to the next election."

The next federal election is expected to be in 2022.

Ms Chesters said the task force would initially look at the impact of the government withdrawing JobSeeker and JobKeeper.

Labor would also seek to have conversations with industries it said completely missed out on JobKeeper, like universities and arts and entertainment, as well as businesses that had not been able to return to work.

"The pandemic has also highlighted vulnerabilities in global supply chains and the importance of domestic manufacturing," Ms Chesters said.

She raised the need for a "make and build Australia" policy and for government to play a role in being a major purchaser of Australian-made goods and services.

Ms Chesters said Labor leader Anthony Albanese selected her to chair the task force after she came forward with concerns about the pandemic's effects on people and industries in her electorate at the height of Victoria's COVID-19 restrictions.

Hospitality, tourism, arts, entertainment, events, and sections of the Bendigo manufacturing sector were particularly affected, according to the Member for Bendigo.

"He asked me to put forward some ideas about how Labor could be proactive in this space," Ms Chesters said.

"From there, Anthony Albanese decided to form a task force. Yesterday's caucus committee agreed to that."

Ms Chesters said she was humbled to be asked to chair the task force.

"It will look at the government's current pandemic recovery plan and whether it is delivering a patchy and uneven outcomes, where the gaps are, and the solution to those gaps," she said.

She believed the task force was necessary because of the government's performance.

National accounts for the September quarter, released today, showed the Australian economy had emerged from its first recession in nearly 30 years.

But Ms Chesters said there was more to the story, with annual growth still negative.

"I'm disappointed the treasurer is claiming today's figures as a win," she said.

"Those headline figures that say we're doing OK don't reflect the lived reality on the ground. That's why Labor thought it was really important to start this task force."

She said the task force's deputy chair, Member for Oxley Milton Dick, and secretary Senator Nita Green would ensure its work continued while she was on maternity leave.

Ms Chesters is expecting her second child with partner and former Bendigo councillor Matt Emond.

She is likely to go on maternity leave either in late March or early April, at this stage.

"My office will continue to be there to support the people of Bendigo and, as required, I'll be coming in," Ms Chesters said.

Earlier

MEMBER for Bendigo Lisa Chesters will chair Labor's pandemic recovery jobs and industry task force.

The task force aims to engage with employers, employees, unions, industry bodies, academics and experts from all over Australia about responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Announcing the task force, which is Labor caucus committee, the federal opposition said the government's actions were making things worse for hardworking Australians.

It comes as national accounts are expected to confirm Australia has technically emerged from recession.

A joint statement from the offices of Ms Chesters, Labor leader Anthony Albanese, and shadow employment and industry minister Brendan O'Connor said the government's decision to cut JobKeeper and JobSeeker risked higher unemployment for longer.

"Instead of a plan to get Australians back into work, Scott Morrison is leaving people behind to go it alone," the statement said.

The Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday deemed addressing unemployment a national priority.

"In Australia, the economic recovery is under way and recent data have generally been better than expected," the Reserve Bank's governor, Philip Lowe, said in a statement.

"This is good news, but the recovery is still expected to be uneven and drawn out and it remains dependent on significant policy support."

The unemployment rate rose to 7 per cent in October, and the Reserve Bank expected it would keep climbing.

"The unemployment rate is forecast to decline next year, but only slowly and still to be around six per cent at the end of 2022," Dr Lowe said.

- with Australian Associated Press

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