How Scott Morrison led to clashes during vaccine rollout

A demand from former prime minister Scott Morrison led to clashes between two top officials when it came to Australia’s vaccine rollout.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison’s demand for a “direct command and control structure” in the health portfolio led to clashes between Operation Covid Shield co-ordinator Lieutenant General John Frewen and Health Minister Greg Hunt, with the military leader warning he “answered to the Prime Minister”.

While there’s no evidence to date that the former prime minister used his secret powers in the health portfolio to control the vaccine rollout, Lt-General Frewen’s letter of appointment makes clear he was to effectively serve two masters.

Eyewitnesses have revealed during discussions over how to conduct the vaccine rollout that the military leader, who is known by the nickname JJ, repeatedly referred to his letter of appointment and the fact that he ultimately answered to the Prime Minister.

“So whenever there was a disagreement with Greg Hunt, JJ would always say, ‘My direction comes from the PM, not from you’,” a public official who attended the meetings told news.com.au.

Scott Morrison with the then Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: Jason Edwards

“There were lots of people there. They were both professional but there were times when the General felt that the directions he was getting were at odds with the direction he was getting from the PM.”

For example, if the Health Minister wanted mobile vaccination teams to return to individual aged care sites multiple times, the Lt-General would raise concerns about how that would impact the teams getting to all the sites needed.

There were, however, “too many cooks,” the public official said.

“They both had reasonable points. I think JJ’s assessment equally was ‘if I do that, I am going to vaccinate 100 per cent of people in one location but I won’t get to these other parts of Australia’,’’ the public official said.

“Hunt wanted things done in a certain way. And JJ would say ‘No, we are not going to do that’.

“There was a letter of tasking. It was where JJ thought what was being proposed by the Minister was at odds with his tasking that he would raise concerns.

“He would remind (Hunt) that ‘the Prime Minister has given me this tasking’. Because his tasking came from elsewhere it made it very difficult.

“It happened regularly.”

Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force Commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Lt General’s letter of appointment as the Co-ordinator-General of the National Covid Vaccine Taskforce, dated June 8, 2021.

The role would report directly to the Prime Minister and Health Minister.

The revelations come days after it was revealed the former prime minister secretly swore himself in to five ministerial portfolios; Health, Finance, Home Affairs, Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, and Treasury, and have raised fresh questions about Mr Morrison’s interventionist approach.

News.com.au has confirmed Health Minister Mark Butler is now seeking a briefing from officials over whether the powers Mr Morrison inherited by assigning himself the five portfolios were ever used.

Mr Morrison has asserted he never used his powers beyond the resources portfolio, when he stopped a gas project. A Home Affairs department review has found he did not use the secret powers in that portfolio.

Lt-General Frewen was appointed as the Co-ordinator-General of the National Covid Vaccine Taskforce, to be known as Operation Covid Shield, on June 8, 2021. The role would report directly to the Prime Minister and Health Minister.

That was more than a year after Mr Morrison appointed himself to the health portfolio without telling the public in March 2020.

Unlike the other four ministers affected by Mr Morrison’s secret power grab, Mr Hunt was aware of the decision to appoint the former prime minister as a co-minister over concerns around the extraordinary power assigned exclusively to the position under the Biosecurity Act, and in case Mr Hunt became incapacitated.

It followed concerns over public confidence in the vaccine rollout that Mr Morrison was determined to address and fix.

At the time, the appointment of the widely respected Army figure to head Operation Covid Shield sparked criticism over concerns it could politicise the military.

In his letter of appointment, that was disclosed under freedom of information laws, Mr Morrison notes he would report to him.

“My expectation is that a direct command and control structure, with you as Co-ordinator General, will ensure that these goals are met,” he said.

“In performing these functions, you will be responsible directly to me and the Minister for Health,” the then-Prime Minister’s letter stated.

“Accordingly, communications should be jointly addressed to both of us and co-ordination should occur with both of our offices simultaneously.”

The Lt-General was also instructed to work with the First Secretaries Group through its Chair Phil Gaetjens, Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, to ensure proper co- ordination with the states and territories.

On June 21, 2021, Lt-General Frewen appeared before Parliament’s Covid committee, where he confirmed he answered directly to the Prime Minister.

“I report directly to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health,” he told parliament.

“I provide briefings directly to the national cabinet and engage with the First Secretaries Group through the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Office of the Co-ordinator-General is based within the Department of Health and consists of Australian public servants and Australian Defence Force members.”

In a statement, the Defence Department simply noted that Lieutenant General Frewen was the Coordinator General, National COVID Vaccine Taskforce during 8 June 2021 to 31 July 2022.“In performing the functions of the role, Lieutenant General Frewen was responsible to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health,” a spokesperson said.

News.com.au has contacted Mr Hunt and Mr Morrison for comment.

Originally published as How Scott Morrison led to clashes during vaccine rollout