Victorian government grilled in parliamentary inquiry over COVID-19 management

The second round of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) Inquiry into the Victorian Government’s handling of the COVID19 Pandemic crisis began Tuesday 11 August 2020.

The Premier, his Minister and health officials faced tough questioning over the management of the hotel quarantine fiasco that ignited a new wave of COVID-19 of infections in Victoria and a second and more draconian lockdown.

An absurdist tragicomedy played out as Ms Kym Peake, Secretary DHHS could not name anyone specifically in charge of the Hotel Quarantine.

Mr Danny O’Brien of the Nationals asked the Premier about “who made the decision to use private security guards in hotel quarantine” rather than the ADF.

Mr Andrews fought back saying that it was “fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer” and that “somehow someone said no.” The Premier pointed to the “judicial inquiry” his government established headed by former Jennifer Ann Coate AO and said he wanted answers as well.

Mr O’Brien reminded the Premier that it was “not a judicial inquiry” suggesting the Premier had been using the term to avoid answering questions.

“The exact nature of security arrangements, their adequacy or otherwise, that is appropriately a matter for Judge Coate to look at,” Mr Andrews repeated.

Mr Richard Riordan, Liberal, questioned Ms  Mikakos, over “who was responsible for the failure in Victorian hotel quarantine?”

Ms Mikakos said that it was a “a multi-agency response” and “many departments and many agencies involved.”

READ MORE: Migrants, Mikakos, hotel sex and the ‘super spreader’ in scramble to find a ‘scapegoat’

She also said that the “respective roles of each of those organisations will be thoroughly examined by former judge Coate in the process of her inquiry”

Mr Riordan pressed Ms Mikakos on “the media reports of emails alerting DHHS to quarantine breakdown” that were presented in the media”

The Minister said she has been provided, “thousands and thousands of pages including emails and other documents to the inquiry.”

“I haven’t had the time to look at those thousands of pages because I’m focused every day on responding to this pandemic.”

Ms Mikakos said she has to “look forward” adding that she did not have “ the luxury of looking backwards.”

“I don’t have those emails …, and I read about them in the newspaper…that newspaper story was something that I heard about for the first time.

Mr Riordan retorted that Ms Mikakos was saying that in “three months” no “junior staff” presented her with any emails and that she had “no time to look at any emails”.

Mr David Limbrick MP Liberal Democrat questioned the CHO, Professor Brett Sutton on the “significant changes to estimates in modelling from first lockdown to current lockdown

Professor Sutton said that they were all “based on assumptions.”

“Modelling isn’t a crystal ball into the future, but it does try and make some mathematical predictions,” added Professor Sutton.

Mr Limbrick asked if the CHO was going for “suppression or elimination?”

READ MORE: Spin falls short as the media grill Andrews over the quarantine hotel fiasco

Professor Sutton said that “the national strategy” called for “aggressive suppression, other people might call that ‘elimination’.”

“I think it always comes with the danger that it can re-emerge and take off again” said Professor Sutton.

Mr Limbrick then asked; “What is the endgame?” adding “we cannot be living like this”

Professor Sutton expressed “significant optimism about the development of a vaccine” and said that over 100 were at various stages of development.

“Over a dozen have gone into phase two trials, where they’re actually exploring the safety and efficacy in human populations.”

Mr Danny O’Brien from the Nationals began questioning Ms Kym Peake, Secretary DHHS

About “who had ultimate oversight over the Hotel Quarantine?

Ms Peake said that it was an “overarching governance group that was established to play that function of monitoring the progress of the programme.

And that governance group involved DJPR (Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions), VicPol Department of Transport and the Department of Premier, and Cabinet.

Mr O’Brien pushed Ms Peake on who, department, or individual, had “final say” or “control”?

“There was a Deputy State Controller…initially with emergency management expertise…and then on about the middle of April, there was an emergency operation centre that was created to support that governance with a COVID-19 accommodation,” said Ms Peake.

The Secretary emphasised that the “Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions, Department of Transport and Department of Premier and Cabinet” were represented.

Mr O’Brien visibly irritated asked again, “Who made the decisions? Is there someone, do you know who the Deputy State Controller was?”

Ms Peake said the best analogy for how the committee made decisions was “commonwealth and state meetings”

“There is someone who is chairing the meeting but there are very clearly defined responsibilities for the parties who are participating in the forum.

“The critical instrument, if you like, was the operational plan which really clearly defined the responsibilities.”

Commonwealth Defence Minister rebuts the Premier’s claim that ADF personnel were not made available.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds rejected Mr Andrews’ claim that ADF personnel weren’t offered, saying the Prime Minister made an offer to all states on the 27 March.

READ MORE: Premier Andrews won’t have “crack at people at St Basil’s” but is critical nonetheless

The Victorian authorities advised the Minister that Victoria was not seeking ADF assistance with mandatory quarantine arrangements.

“The ADF was consistently advised that its assistance was not required for any ‘public facing roles’ in Victoria,” Ms Reynolds said.

“ADF officials asked whether Victorian authorities required assistance with its mandatory quarantine system on multiple occasions. No request for quarantine support was subsequently received from Victoria at that time.”

Minister Reynolds added that ADF officials agreed to support NSW and Queensland with hotel quarantine compliance on the 28th of March, and that on the 12th of April Victorian authorities reaffirmed to ADF officials that they had the capacity to manage the program.

PAEC Continues daily:

Live feed https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/video-and-audio/live-broadcasting

The PAEC Inquiry period and a list of who is appearing https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/paec/COVID-19_Inquiry/Hearing_schedule/Round_2_Hearing_Schedule_.pdf