Daniel Andrews’ hotel quarantine claims rebuked

Gladys Berejiklian and Australia’s top medial expert have savaged Dan Andrews for claiming Victoria’s hotel quarantine program is better than other states.

Daniel Andrews’ claim that Victoria’s hotel quarantine was of a “higher standard” than that in other states has been slapped down by Gladys Berejiklian and Australia’s top medial expert.

The Premier made the statement just hours before Victorian authorities confirmed another two cases stemming from one of its hotel quarantine sites.

Mr Andrews said the state could not take as many overseas arrivals as NSW because Victoria’s system was of “higher standards”.

“I am very confident we have a system that is worthy of being copied by others. It’s not about boasting, it’s a fact,” he said. “If it were anything other than one of the best systems … then I doubt very much any first ministers across the country would have agreed to copy it.”

When asked about the comments, Australia’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly said Victoria had improved following the hotel quarantine inquiry sparked by the deadly second wave.

“The Victorians have the advantage, of course of having had a … special commission into the into their hotel quarantine issues from the middle of last year,” Prof Kelly said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says Victoria’s hotel quarantine was of a “higher standard” than that in other states

“They certainly had to and have addressed some of the issues that were that were highlighted in that in that time.”

He said all states had also had their systems reviewed by former Health Department Secretary Jane Halton in the second half of 2020 and improvements were continuously being made.

NSW Premier Berejiklian slapped down the comments, saying her state was welcoming Victorians who were unable to secure spots in Melbourne hotels.

“Until Victoria is prepared to increase its intake, more Victorians will inevitably have to return through the NSW system, and we are ready to do what we must in the national interest,” she said.

“Hotel quarantine comes with risk, but every state must do its bit to bring Australians home”

By early February, more than 15,000 Victorians have been processed through NSW’s quarantine system.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian hit back at Andrews.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, state opposition leader Michael O’Brien demanded the state government improve airflow systems within quarantine hotels.

“We were promised that hotel quarantine was going to be better this time around and clearly some of the same mistakes are still there,” Mr O’Brien said.

“If we know now that you can get transmission through the air then air monitoring becomes absolutely critical.”

He added: “Something has gone wrong and the government can’t tell us what. We need to know the answers.”