ADF shoots down Daniel Andrews’ hotel quarantine claims
Amid a tense war of words between the state and federal governments, the man in charge of ADF’s COVID-19 task force has slapped down claims from Daniel Andrews that troops were not offered to manage Victoria’s troubled hotel quarantine system.
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The Defence Force COVID-19 task force chief has shot down repeated claims from Daniel Andrews that troops were not offered to help in Victoria’s quarantine hotels.
Lieutenant-General John Frewen has confirmed 100 personnel were put on standby in Victoria on the day national cabinet agreed to quarantine all travellers from overseas.
He has also explained how hundreds of troops assisted in hotels in Queensland and NSW, contradicting the Premier’s claim that the ADF only helped in “limited circumstances” elsewhere.
Mr Andrews sparked a war of words with the federal government last week when he said: “I think it is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no.”
The Premier refused to back down when Defence Minister Linda Reynolds weighed in to explain Defence’s efforts to assist, and he dismissed “anonymous” reports of Defence records detailing what help was available.
Lieutenant-General Frewen, appearing before a Senate committee on Tuesday, confirmed the Herald Sun’s report that troops were placed on standby after an offer of support was “made specifically around mandatory quarantine” by Scott Morrison to all states on March 27.
Lieutenant-General Frewen said it was “made plain” by the Prime Minister that the ADF “would be available to provide support with the mandatory quarantine arrangements”. “The offers to the states and territories were the same,” he said.
Within a week of the decision to quarantine returned travellers, the ADF had about 360 personnel in NSW and about 100 in Queensland.
In NSW, troops worked in hotels alongside police, with Lieutenant-General Frewen saying they provided concierge-type services, distributed food and supplies, and ensured hotel guests were not trying to “sneak out”. Any breaches were reported to NSW Police.
Troops also directed travellers off flights, helped with baggage handling and escorted buses to hotels.
Victorian authorities decided to use security guards instead, with health protocol breaches sparking the state’s deadly second wave.
Mr Andrews suggested last week there was a difference between Defence’s offer of support for hotel quarantine and a separate operation to check on people isolating at home.
But Lieutenant-General Frewen said: “Our support was not specifically limited to either of those operations. Our support was broad-reaching.”
He said he understood the offer of support was reinforced by the Prime Minister’s department to the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Lieutenant-General Frewen said the ADF had received 14 requests from Victoria during the pandemic.
Lieutenant General Frewen’s evidence also contradicted a statement from Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp, who said the ADF did not offer assistance for hotel quarantine.
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