Jenny Mikakos resigned as Victoria’s health minister on Saturday. Her decision came a day after Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews took the stand at the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine inquiry on Friday.
She resigned in a scathing letter saying she disagreed with Premier Andrews’ comments and stated that she can no longer serve in his cabinet following his statements.
In the days and weeks prior to her resignation, health union representatives and Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton had called for her to either resign or be sacked. The Health Workers Union welcomed her decision to resign, holding her responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria.
Mikakos’s resignation is welcome. We hope to engage with a new Health Minister to put a stop to the bizarre decisions to contract out public hospital cleaners and other non-clinical workers during a pandemic and replace them from dodgy outsourcing firms. PPP’s must go! #springst
— Health Workers Union (@Health_Workers) September 26, 2020
Mikakos should go because of contact tracing failures and her dodgy evidence to the Inquiry.
But Mikakos did not say ‘no’ to ADF.
She did not bring in private security for hotel quarantine.
These decisions caused our 2nd wave.
Andrews is responsible.
He must go.#springst https://t.co/E2R34nPXIy
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelobrienmp) September 26, 2020
READ MORE: Jenny Mikakos sends mixed messages during COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry
Federal Shadow Health Minister Chris Bowen paid tribute to Jenny Mikakos’ service and said she had “more understanding of ministerial responsibility in her little finger than Angus Taylor, Michael Sukkar and Alan Tudge combined”.
I’d like to pay tribute to Jenny Mikakos’ service to the people of Victoria in very difficult circumstances. Jenny has more understanding of ministerial responsibility in her little finger than Angus Taylor, Michael Sukkar and Alan Tudge combined. I wish her the best.
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) September 26, 2020
Brad Hazzard, Minister for Health and Medical Research, wondered how the health minister can be responsible for the quarantine system. “How could a health minister direct police to be involved?” he wondered.
Sorry to see Jenny Mikakos resign. She has worked tirelessly in this pandemic. Premier Andrews assertion that the Health Minister was responsible for the Quarantine system lacks logic. How could a Health Minister direct Police to be involved? @NSWHealth
— Brad Hazzard (@BradHazzard) September 26, 2020
Former premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett, is waiting for more resignations to follow.
Jenny Mikakos resigns. 7 to go including the Premier. Go now and go quickly
— Jeff Kennett (@jeff_kennett) September 26, 2020
Nick Staikos MP spoke of Jenny Mikakos as a person of “integrity”.
That my friend @JennyMikakos’s career has ended this way saddens me greatly. She is a person of integrity who has worked her guts out while carrying the extraordinary weight of an unprecedented health crisis on her shoulders. I only wish her the best post politics.
— Nick Staikos MP (@NStaikos) September 26, 2020
