Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has fronted a parliamentary inquiry this morning, where he was grilled over the state’s bungled hotel quarantine, which has caused Victoria’s second wave of COVID-19.
“Genome sequencing demonstrates that at least a significant portion of new cases and the resulting second wave are attributable to the spread of the virus out of the hotel quarantine system, that’s beyond doubt, that point has been very clearly made” Andrews said.
When probed by Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan, Premier Andrews said he took full responsibility for the failed quarantine system, which Mr Riordan described as “the most disastrous economic and social catastrophe in Victorian history”.
“I take responsibility for all of the decisions that are made across our government and the performance of all our agencies,” Andrews said.
Richard Riorden also confronted the Premier about reports Minister for Jobs Martin Pakula was responsible for the bungled program, but the Premier refused to confirm the reports or reveal whether the minister would be sacked.
Recall the leaked emails revealing that the Victorian Government knew of problems surrounding hotel quarantine in March but failed to take corrective action:
Top bureaucrats warned senior health officials at the beginning of the Andrews government’s botched hotel quarantine scheme that security guards were ill-equipped for the work and demanded police be called in to take control…
The first email raising concerns was sent by a senior bureaucrat at the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions within 24 hours of the March 28 launch of the program.
It was addressed to several senior officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which was the leading agency for the day-to-day management of hotel quarantine…
“We request that Victoria Police is present 24/7 at each hotel starting from this evening. We ask that DHHS urgently make that request as the control agency,” the email read…
Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions official sent a second email on March 30 demanding that DHHS request police support, suggesting private security companies were “not adequate” to guard the hotels.
The email recommended DHHS ban quarantined travellers from leaving their rooms for any reason, including exercise.
A top official from Emergency Management Victoria responded to the request by saying police were not required because guards could call triple zero if a situation warranted police involvement…
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed on July 3 that the Chief Health Officer was told of similar problems with the hotel quarantine system in mid-April…
Police Minister Lisa Neville said police were not the default agency for the management of the pandemic response in Victoria, as they were in other states…
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this month that at least five agencies were involved in the decision to deploy private security guards, instead of soldiers or police, at quarantine hotels: Health; Jobs; Premier and Cabinet; Emergency Management Victoria; and Victoria Police…
And recall the ABC’s and 60 Minutes’ damning investigations:
One thing Dan Andrews is great at is avoiding questions and subterfuge. He is the master of talking a lot and saying nothing.
