The stars are aligning for Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos to become the scapegoat for Melbourne’s hotel quarantine disaster after she was caught lying to the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry yesterday:
Victoria’s Health Minister Jenny Mikakos appears to have misled the inquiry into the botched hotel quarantine program after claiming the first she learnt of the involvement of private security guards was in May.
But more than a month earlier, on March 29, Ms Mikakos stood alongside Jobs Minister Martin Pakula at a press conference when he confirmed that private security would be patrolling hotels housing returned travellers.
“All of those passengers returning will now undergo mandatory two-week quarantine at those Melbourne hotels with security guards in place,” Mr Pakula said at the press conference.
Ms Mikakos was asked by the inquiry yesterday: “When were you first aware of a decision to engage private security contractors as part of the HQP [hotel quarantine program]?”
“I believe I first became aware of the use of private security guards contracted by DJPR [Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions] in the HQP after the Rydges [hotel] outbreak occurred in late May 2020,” her written response said.
Her evidence has left some Labor MPs furious, who say they were briefed in April about the use of private security guards.
The only thing we’ve gotten out of this Inquiry is buck-passing, lies and obfuscation. The entire government and bureaucracy needs a clean-out.
