Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry will be extended by six weeks and won’t report until 21 December after receiving new evidence from key players:
Inquiry chair Jennifer Coate said an interim report would be handed down on November 6 containing recommendations for a proposed quarantine program, based on evidence and information currently available to the board.
But she said a final report examining the setting up of the initial hotel quarantine program, and any further recommendations, would be released by December 21.
“This unfortunate delay is due to the provision of additional material which occurred after the conclusion of closing submissions on 28 September 2020, as detailed at the extraordinary sitting on 20 October 2020,” Ms Coate said.
“As a result of this additional material, the board has issued several further notices to produce and requests for affidavits. Several documents and affidavits are presently outstanding and may lead to further enquiries.”
This is great news.
Premier Daniel Andrews keeps saying that he wants to get to the truth of what happened with the Government’s bungled hotel quarantine, which caused the virus second wave. Therefore, giving the inquiry six more weeks to unpick the inconsistencies, lies and obfuscation from the Victorian Government is vital in order to get to the truth.
The inquiry must get answers to why the Victorian Government went it alone in using private security to guard quarantine hotels when every other state used the police and the Australian Defence Force.
The inquiry must find out why a three month, $30 million contract was given without scrutiny to Unified Security – a tiny security firm of only 89 permanent employees that wasn’t even on the Victorian Government’s preferred supplier list.
The inquiry must determine who within the government made these fateful and possibly corrupt decisions.
The whole fiasco has “cover-up” written all over it.
Victorians need answers to what has become the biggest public health and economic disaster in the state’s history.
Otherwise a royal commission is warranted.
