question: EDs play a crucial role as frontline health services throughout public health emergencies, including pandemics. The strength of the Australian public health response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has mitigated the impact of the pandemic on clinical services, but there has still been a substantial impact on EDs and the health system. We revisit major events and lessons from the first wave of COVID‐19 in Australia to consider the implications and avenues for system‐level improvements for future pandemic and public health emergency response for EDs. Notwithstanding, the remarkable efforts of healthcare workers across the health system, COVID‐19 has uncovered structural and planning challenges and highlighted weaknesses and strengths of the Australian federation. In anticipating future pandemics and other public health threats, particularly in the face of climate change, hard‐won lessons from the COVID‐19 response should be incorporated in future planning, policies, practice and advocacy.