Department of Premier and Cabinet responsible for private security decision, according to new report

A new report has assigned blame for Victoria’s bungled hotel quarantine scheme and the disastrous decision to employ private security guards.

Victoria’s health officials struggled to share important information to multicultural groups and GPs at key points during the pandemic, a report into the state’s COVID-19 response has found.

The Andrews government is under pressure to release internal reviews into the pandemic after there were calls on Tuesday for more transparency over the second wave.

The Opposition has also called for Victoria’s Auditor-General to probe the use of taxpayer dollars on the bungled hotel quarantine program and security arrangements.

Victoria’s Parliamentary Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) on Tuesday released its findings into how the state managed its response to the coronavirus.

The inquiry tabled a majority report signed off by all five of the committee’s Labor MPs, but this was not endorsed by any of the other five non-government MPs, who instead released reports of their own.

In assessing areas for improvement by the state government, the Labor report conceded that the Department of Health and Human Services had difficulties communicating with Victoria’s multicultural communities.

Premier Daniel Andrews rejected allegations during question that he was ‘not telling the truth’ about who hired private security guards. .

It highlighted comments by Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association chief executive Alison Verhoeven, that community groups had offered to help speak to at-risk multicultural Victorians.

“There was not a particular interest in taking up those offers,” she said. “I highlight that because one of the weaknesses we have seen is the capacity to communicate directly with groups for whom English may not be a first language, whose health literacy may be low and who may not have access to IT services, and particularly groups where there may be a highly casualised workforce.”

Health practitioners also struggled with contact with the department at times and the report flagged concerns about “constant communication issues between government departments, public hospital management, general practice, primary care and aged care”.

The committee also recommended that the government “consider” releasing a crucial internal review into the hotel quarantine’s security system and a forensic audit of alleged underpayments into the program, both of which have not been made public.

PAEC deputy chair Richard Riordan called for more transparency and lashed out at the government for failing to provide vital information to the COVID-19 inquiry.

Among the unanswered questions identified by the committee were the release of multiple internal reviews, the size of Victoria’s contact tracing system prior to August, and detail on who was responsible for hotel quarantine.

“This report — it is what it doesn’t say that we are so critical of,” Mr Riordan said. “It doesn’t in any way put the data forward that people want so that we can avoid this type of thing happening in the future.”

THe report made mention of the state’s contact tracing system.

PREMIER, CABINET RESPONSIBLE FOR PRIVATE SECURITY DECISION

Daniel Andrews “endorsed” the controversial decision to hire private security guards in Victoria’s first hotel quarantine program, according to the new report.

The reportfound the decision to use private security guards was made by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

The report also said the decision was “more likely than not” made by Premier Daniel Andrews’ secretary Chris Eccles.

“We also find the Premier endorsed this decision given statements he himself made throughout the course of 27 March 2020,” the report stated.

Mr Eccles resigned from his role as Victorian DPC secretary in October last year.

Tuesday’s report also found genomic testing “proved that 99 per cent of Victoria’s second wave of COVID-19 cases was the result of the outbreak from the hotel quarantine program”.

The report revealed “ministers would regularly avoid answering questions” during those hearings and accused the Labor committee chair of doing to “incredible lengths to interrupt questioning”.

The report also found the Labor chair would “waste time or even mute non-government members’ microphones on matters that ministers were sensitive about”.

The report concluded that given the “failings of this committee and the limitations placed on the Coate Hotel Quarantine Inquiry, we consider that nothing short of a royal commission is required to properly interrogate the Andrews Labor Government and put Victoria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic under the microscope”.

Originally published as Department of Premier and Cabinet responsible for private security decision, according to new report