Brett Sutton faces Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee

Premier Daniel Andrews says Victorians will need a booster to fully protect themselves from Covid — yet chief health officer Brett Sutton hasn’t been asked for his advice.

Chief health officer Brett Sutton says he has given no advice on mandating a vaccine booster dose, despite Daniel Andrews flagging the idea.

The Premier has warned it’s “only a matter of time” before people will need three jabs in order to be considered fully vaccinated against Covid, and has flagged an imminent announcement.

He has not ruled out further vaccine mandates being made beyond that.

But giving evidence to Victoria’s new Pandemic Declaration Accountability and Oversight Committee on Monday, Professor Sutton said he was yet to be asked for his views.

Under new pandemic specific legislation, responsibility for making pandemic orders has shifted to the Premier and Health Minister on the advice of the chief health officer.

“I haven’t been requested to provide advice on broader vaccine mandates at this stage,” he said.

“When and if I get a request from the minister for advice on those potential measures, I’ll be very happy to assess the epidemiological situation at that time and to provide my recommendations on how that might change if at all.

Brett Sutton appears before parliament's new pandemic oversight committee.

“I don’t believe there have been any decisions made.”

Committee member Georgie Crozier, the opposition’s health spokesman, accused the Premier of failing to properly consider health advice.

“How can you trust Daniel Andrews on not putting further restrictions in place when he didn’t even take advice from CHO on mandatory third booster,” she said.

“For two years Andrews has told us the decisions are made on advice from the CHO, yet we know that not to be the case on mandatory third booster, so how can we trust him to not put further restrictions like lockdown in place?”

In the most recent published formal health advice to government, acting chief health officer Ben Cowie said a booster mandate was not yet required.

“I have considered a consistent one-size-fits-all approach to vaccination mandates for all workforces and even for the general community but, at this time, I do not consider this to be a proportionate response,” he said.

“Victorians are voluntarily accessing booster doses at high numbers.”

Professor Cowie said Department of Premier and Cabinet data showed more than 80 per cent of Victorians were willing to voluntarily undertake a booster dose.

Booster shots have already been mandated for some workers including school staff, healthcare workers and emergency services personnel.

Victorian CHO Professor Brett Sutton hasn’t given advice on mandating vaccine booster doses. Picture: Ian Currie

Correction facilities workers, hotel quarantine workers, and employees working in industries including food distribution, manufacturing, warehousing and transport must also receive a third dose.

Mr Andrews has pushed at a federal level for full vaccination to be redefined to include Covid-19 boosters, however national cabinet has not yet reached a consensus.

But he has flagged further mandates across Victoria and said he would follow the advice of experts.

“I could not be clearer about the vaccinated economy . . . mandates are here and we didn’t get to 93 per cent without mandates. We only got to that unique level of internationally significant vaccination protection by mandating,” Mr Andrews said on Sunday.

Professor Sutton was the first witness to appear before Victoria’s new cross-party parliamentary committee, established as part of the state’s new pandemic specific legislation.

As well as reviewing pandemic orders, the committee can recommend changes and refer matters to Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass for investigation.

“This is an important opportunity for members of our Committee to gain a greater insight into the role of the CHO and discuss the process of declaring pandemic orders,” independent chair Suzannah Sheed said.

The joint investigatory committee intends to hold further public hearings throughout the year.