Brett Sutton reveals his regrets as he resigns as Victoria’s chief health officer

Brett Sutton has expressed he has regrets about the handling of the Covid pandemic, as he prepares to leave his role as chief health officer, admitting he would “absolutely” do things differently now.

• Brett Sutton’s most controversial Covid calls

Outgoing chief health officer Brett Sutton has acknowledged he holds some regrets about the handling of the Covid pandemic.

Professor Sutton resigned as Victoria’s chief health officer on Friday after four years.

He led the state throughout the Covid pandemic and will leave the government to join the CSIRO as director of health and biosecurity.

Appointed chief health officer in 2019, Professor Sutton became the face of Victoria’s pandemic response.

On Friday, he said: “There’s not a person in the world who has been part of the public health response who wouldn’t reflect on things that they would do differently, things that they regret, I’m absolutely no different”.

“We acted with the understanding and the information that we had at the time with the best of intentions and with an eternally focused eye on protecting the health and well-being of Victorians.

“Would I do things differently with the knowledge that I have now with the understanding we have about the virus? Absolutely I would.”

Professor Brett Sutton speaks to the media about his resignation. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Professor Sutton said at times he regretted not taking action earlier in some circumstances, but also wished the world came to an earlier understanding about the differences between indoor and outdoor transmission.

“Knowing what we know about the risk of transmission indoors versus outdoors, the freedoms that we could allow outdoors are clearly greater,” he said.

“(It) would have been great if we had those lesson rights through quarantine.”

Professor Sutton insisted he continued to have a “great relationship” with Premier Daniel Andrews but admitted there were always challenges between health bureaucrats and elected officials in every jurisdiction.

“Those tensions will exist,” he said.

“I come with my view and my filter. They have broader considerations and they have constituents that they are accountable to, but we talked it through and we came to decisions collectively.”

Brett Sutton became the face of Victoria’s Covid response. Picture: Ian Currie

Professor Sutton said the social media vitriol, death threats and intrusion into his personal life had taken its toll on both him and his family.

“Critiques are totally fine, accountability is appropriate for any public office holder but the BS that is sometimes spouted out is quite extraordinary,” he said.

“As much as you can set it aside, it still weighs on you because it’s directed so vociferously in your direction.”

Professor Sutton said he was most looking forward to “having beers with my mates in the Department” as well as taking up his new role with the CSIRO.

“There is absolute science nerd heaven that goes on in CSIRO,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Professor Sutton “served our state and guided us through some of the most difficult times”.

“As CHO, Brett helped keep us informed, and above all, safe,” he tweeted.

“Thank you for your service, and all the very best for your next role.”

For more than a decade, Professor Sutton has served our state and guided us through some of the most difficult times.

As CHO, Brett helped keep us informed, and above all, safe.

Thank you for your service, and all the very best for your next role.

— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) June 8, 2023

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said Professor Sutton helped lead Victoria through “one of our most challenging times”.

“We are grateful for his contribution through Covid and congratulate Brett on his new role as director of health and biosecurity at one of our greatest research institutions — CSIRO,” Ms Thomas said.

Throughout the pandemic, Professor Sutton became one of the most polarising figures in Victoria.

He was responsible for overseeing what was at one point the world’s longest lockdown and was behind some of the toughest restrictions imposed on Melburnians.

Such restrictions – labelled as draconian by critics – have been criticised for affecting people’s mental health.

The controversial restrictions recommended by Professor Sutton to government included imposing a strict curfew on Melburnians, banning them from leaving their homes between the hours of 8pm and 5am.

He also presided over edicts that banned people from travelling more than 5km from their place of residence.

People were only allowed to leave their homes for one hour each day to exercise, and during some points of the state’s six lockdowns, he recommended that only one person from each household could leave the home to do essential shopping.

He also imposed a hard “ring of steel” around metropolitan Melbourne to stop all unnecessary travel into regional Victoria.

Towards the end of the pandemic, Professor Sutton — who had fronted the media most days alongside the Premier — stopped appearing at press conferences, leading to reports of internal clashes and disagreements with the government.

Brett Sutton, pictured with Premier Daniel Andrews, was a polarising figure throughout Victoria’s Covid lockdowns. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said: “(Brett Sutton) may be leaving but real questions remain about decisions made during the pandemic and whether he was unduly influenced by the Premier or his office leading to some of the longest and harshest lockdowns of anywhere in the world.”

Professor Allen Cheng, former deputy chief health officer, told 3AW Prof Sutton was conscious of the weight of his decisions on peoples’ health.

“I appreciate how much thought he put into the consequences,” he said.

“He certainly made very difficult decisions.

“He was very calm and methodical.”

Professor Cheng said while there were decisions that could “have been better”, the lockdowns saved lives.

He said Professor Sutton “absolutely” made the decisions – not the government – up until the change in law that gave the government final say.

“That’s not to say there weren’t robust discussions in cabinet,” he said.

Professor Cheng said the perception Professor Sutton was bullied by the government was unfair.

“He did stand up for what he thought,” he said.

“There were robust discussions with the government.”

Former deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian branch state secretary, Lisa Fitzpratrick, said Prof Sutton “saved the lives of thousands of Victorians” and defended his decisions.

“Prof Sutton’s public health decisions through the pandemic years, while not always popular, were always designed to protect the lives of all Victorians,” she said.

“He also acknowledged and had a deep understanding of the ‘Herculean’ challenges nurses and midwives faced and embraced head on.

“Thankfully few of us will ever know the weight of the responsibility Victoria placed on his shoulders.”

Department of Health secretary Euan Wallace, who confirmed Professor Sutton’s resignation, said his experience throughout Covid will “no doubt be instrumental in his new role”.

“Professor Sutton is an invaluable leader in the field of public health and will be continuing this great work in his new role at CSIRO,” Professor Wallace said.

“He will remain engaged in health and wellbeing at a national and regional level.

“It also provides a great opportunity for us to strengthen the partnership between our two organisations.

“I want to thank Brett for his enormous contribution to this Department and Victoria – and wish him well for his new role.”

Professor Sutton will begin his new role at the CSIRO in September. Picture: David Crosling

Professor Sutton’s new role will focus on research and development around the nation’s biosecurity preparedness and responsiveness, as well as digital health, and health and wellbeing more broadly.

He will also play a key role in the development of CSIRO’s wider health challenge strategy, focusing on human health and the intersections where animal and environmental factors have a direct impact on humans.

Professor Sutton joined the Department of Health in 2011. His replacement is yet to be appointed.

CSIRO executive director of future industries, Kirsten Rose, said the organisation was excited for Professor Sutton’s to bring his leadership and expertise to the team.

“As the national science agency, CSIRO’s role in health is critically important now more than ever because of the fragmentation, complexity, and vast scale of the health system, reinforcing the need for solutions to be evidence and science-led,” Ms Rose said.

“The magnitude of the challenges Professor Sutton faced as Victoria’s chief health officer in guiding the public health response to Covid-19, together with his specialised knowledge in tropical medicine and infectious disease, gives him a unique and compelling skill set to continue to drive CSIRO’s leadership in health and biosecurity research.”

Professor Sutton, who has specialist knowledge in tropical medicine and infectious disease, has previously worked in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Timor-Leste, and Fiji.

He will commence his new role with the CSIRO in September 2023.

Originally published as Brett Sutton reveals his regrets as he resigns as Victoria’s chief health officer