Hotel quarantine inquiry to reopen
In a sensational development, the inquiry into Victoria’s bungled hotel quarantine program will be reopened after new evidence was obtained.
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The hotel quarantine Board of Inquiry has sensationally re-opened after its lawyers obtained new evidence including call records, texts and emails from Premier Daniel Andrews, his staff, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Inquiry chair Jennifer Coate announced an extraordinary sitting of the inquiry would be held on Tuesday, in a move which could clear the way for further public hearings.
The development late today sent tremors through the upper ranks of the Andrews Government, with no indication given by the board on who would be recalled.
The announcement came after the board received call records from senior members of the Premier’s private office, from Mr Andrews, and a complete Telstra call log from the phone of former chief commissioner Graham Ashton, which had previously been unavailable.
The DHHS also provided further documents, relating to when Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton knew private security would be guarding the quarantine hotels. He has given evidence he only found out in May, after there’d been a quarantine breach.
It seems likely the inquiry’s final report, due on November 6, will be delayed.
The board is unlikely to call witnesses on Tuesday, and refused to say if they would recall Government officials, including Mr Andrews, to the stand in coming weeks.
“The Board of Inquiry proposes to hold an extraordinary sitting at 2pm on Tuesday 20 October,’’ it said in a brief statement. “Further details to be announced.’’
The board has been trying to unravel incomplete and/or misleading evidence provided to it in the final sitting weeks last month.
This includes from Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Chris Eccles, who told the inquiry his phone records did not show he had called Mr Ashton during a crucial six-minute window on March 27.
After the board ordered him to produce the records last weekend, he resigned, saying more complete records showed he had indeed rung Mr Ashton during that period.
Mr Eccles, Mr Ashton, Professor Sutton and former health minister Jenny Mikakos would all be potential witnesses to be re-called.
Ms Mikakos resigned after Mr Andrews gave evidence she was in charge, and later used her closing submission to urge the inquiry not to accept Mr Andrews’ evidence that he did not know who had decided to use private security.
Mr Andrews said today he would appear before the board again if required.
“The thing about an independent inquiry is that they’re absolutely independent, they can make whatever judgments they feel are the most appropriate. If they need more information, they are free to request it,’’ he said.
“I am absolutely willing and determined to be as cooperative and helpful as possible and that won’t be changing.’’
A DHHS spokesman said two documents had been identified this week that “were not provided (by the department) as part of the original document request.’’
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