Former Victoria minister for health Jenny Mikakos has called on the the hotel quarantine inquiry to treat “with caution” evidence presented to it by Premier Daniel Andrews with regard to the use of private security in the Hotel Quarantine Program

In her 14-page submission to the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry which was published on Friday, Ms Mikakos said it was: “implausible to assert that ‘the use of private security [was] not really a decision at all’, but rather was ‘arrived at by way of a creeping assumption, that took hold over a period perhaps a couple of hours, and that wasn’t questioned by anyone’”.

“Such a submission has insufficient regard to the realities of governmental operation and decision-making. In this regard, it is respectfully submitted that the Board ought to treat with caution the Premier’s evidence where he sought to explain the reference to the use of private security in the Hotel Quarantine Program made by him during his media conference that commenced at 3 pm on 27 March 2020.

“Had the decision not already been made by that time, the Premier would not have announced the use of private security in the program. In this regard, it is observed that no evidence was led about what briefings were provided to the Premier by his office in advance of that media conference.

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The former health minister who was also Minister for the Coordination of Health and Human Services said she had not played any role in the decisions regarding the Health Quarantine Program and added that she had not been involved or consulted regarding: “the structure of, or operational plan for, the Hotel Quarantine Program, and nor was she part of any decision-making process to use private security guards in the Hotel Quarantine Program.”

She submitted that the failure to consult the Cabinet or Cabinet Committee in setting up the program was “is the root cause of some of the issues which have been ventilated before the Board in the course of this Inquiry.”

“In particular, the failure to follow ordinary Cabinet-led decision-making processes is the cause of the differing views which have been given by witnesses as to who had overall responsibility and accountability for the Hotel Quarantine Program.”

In concluding her submission Ms Mikakos accepted responsibility for the conduct of her department but said she had played no role in the decision to use a private security firm for the Hotel Quarantine Program.

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“Ms Mikakos accepts that she was accountable for the conduct of her department. The extent of her accountability is a matter for the Board, but should be considered in the context of the shared accountability that was assumed by the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) and the DJPR (Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions), and the failures of her department in raising issues with her concerning the Hotel Quarantine Program.

“But she played no role in the critical decision to use private security in the frontline, or the terms on which they were contracted. Nor did her department. For those decisions, others must take responsibility.”

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