ADF confirms Andrews ignored troops offer, Jenny Mikakos stripped of hotel quarantine responsibility
The ADF has confirmed it put 100 troops on standby to assist with Victoria’s hotel quarantine program, while Daniel Andrews is adamant no such offer was made.
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The Defence Force has confirmed it put 100 troops on standby to monitor Victoria’s hotel quarantine system – an offer which was ignored by Daniel Andrews.
The Premier said this week that he would not comment on “anonymous reporting” in the Herald Sun about Defence records detailing the offers of support for monitoring compliance in the hotels.
Defence has now issued a statement which says: “On 27 March 2020, the Chief of the Defence Force issued orders for the ADF to be prepared to provide at short-notice 100 personnel to each state (and 50 in smaller jurisdictions) to support potential requests for assistance from the states and territories for quarantine compliance monitoring and checking of self-isolation orders.”
“The support to quarantine compliance within Australia is conducted in support of, and co-ordinated by, the state and territory authorities,” Defence said.
Mr Andrews said on Thursday that Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp had “100 per cent refuted” Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, after Mr Crisp issued a statement which said the ADF did not offer support for hotel quarantine in meetings when it was set up on March 27 and 28.
But on March 27, Mr Andrews said: “I’m very grateful to the Prime Minister for him agreeing to let this be a true partnership between Victoria Police, our health officials, as well as the Australian Defence Force. I think that will work very well.”
The next day, after a decision was made to use security guards for compliance monitoring, Mr Andrews said: “We’ll utilise private security, we’ll also utilise members of Victoria Police, and I’m very grateful to the Prime Minister for his offer of support from the Australian Defence Force.”
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has been stripped of responsibility for hotel quarantine, as it was revealed key meetings during the program’s planning were likely recorded.
The state government quietly shifted responsibility for the problem-plagued program from the under-siege minister to Attorney-General Jill Hennessy.
It came after revelations the bungled decisions on infection control were made by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Opposition leader Michael O’Brien called for Ms Mikakos to be sacked, saying the government’s move “was a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has well and truly bolted”.
“She made a mess of it and now the Premier has acted but too late,” he said. “I’ve said time and time again, I don’t think she is up to the job … he should go the next step and find somebody better and more capable to fill that role.”
But Premier Daniel Andrews dismissed the changes as part of a “comprehensive” reset of the hotel quarantine program, now blamed for sparking Victoria’s deadly second wave.
“There are some important changes that have been made just to make sure there’s no doubt at all about the reset and who is in charge of that,” he said.
It came as Mr Andrews inflamed the war of words over his government’s failure to use troops in the bungled quarantine program, bluntly rejecting the federal Defence Minister’s effort to clear up the matter.
He also dismissed “anonymous reporting” on Defence records, which outlined how repeated offers of support had been made and declined since hotel quarantine was established on March 27.
His comments prompted a firm response from Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, who said there was “very clear evidence” of the ADF’s offer to all states including Victoria.
A detailed timeline, based on internal Defence documents and reported by the Herald Sun, is now expected to be explained when ADF chiefs face a Senate committee next Tuesday.
Defence placed 100 personnel on standby in Victoria on the day national cabinet agreed to quarantine returned travellers, but private security guards were instead chosen to man Melbourne hotels, with health protocol breaches sparking the state’s deadly second wave.
Mr Andrews said on Thursday that Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp had “100 per cent refuted” Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who had explained how the ADF tried to help in Victoria.
Mr Crisp — who has not faced questions publicly for months — said in a statement that ADF representatives did not offer hotel quarantine assistance when the scheme was established.
Mr Andrews said that made sure “there was no doubt about these issues”.
“Andrew Crisp put out a statement because I think it was important that he do that. That’s what he did, that’s a matter for him,” he said.
In response, Mr Hunt said Scott Morrison had publicly offered Defence support, and that the state government agreed on the same day that the ADF “will be engaged” to set up hotel quarantine.
“Both (statements) are written, both are fundamental, and they speak for themselves,” Mr Hunt said.
“There is very clear evidence on the public record.”
Mr Andrews said there was “no point” raising the dispute with the Prime Minister because they were focused on “the real challenges that we face” fighting the coronavirus.
“I’ll neither waste my time nor the Prime Minister’s time dealing with those issues,” he said.
It came as a state parliamentary inquiry was told Department of Transport representatives attended a pivotal March 27 meeting where the decision was made to use private security in quarantine hotels.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said she was informed of the meeting shortly after it finished.
Asked which minister had oversight of the quarantine program, Ms Allan said: “I have nothing to add to the comments that have been made already over the course of this week on that matter.”
No ministers attended the March 27 meeting, a matter which Mr Andrews said could be considered by an independent inquiry he had ordered.
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