Premier Daniel Andrews to hand over phone records to hotel quarantine inquiry
Premier Daniel Andrews and his senior staff will hand over their phone records in the hopes it could reveal who decided private security staff would be used for the program. But Victorians have been warned the data might not contain a “smoking gun’’.
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Phone records and text messages from Daniel Andrews, his right-hand man Chris Eccles, and up to a dozen of the Premier’s senior office staff will be handed over to the hotel quarantine inquiry.
Mr Andrews on Sunday revealed the inquiry board had requested he provide his communication records, as it continues to investigate who in government made the fatally flawed decision to hire private security to guard the quarantine hotels.
Board chair, retired judge Jennifer Coate, formally requested the data at the weekend. Mr Andrews said he and his staff would willingly give up the information, including any necessary data from personal phones and messages on encrypted apps like WhatsApp.
“All of that detail will be given to the board, that will be done as soon as possible,” Mr Andrews said.
“I can’t give an exact timeline because Telstra and others have to provide us with those details, but that will be provided just as they asked … All of us are entitled to the answers. It’s an independent process.”
Intriguingly, Mr Andrews flagged other inquiry witnesses – including ministers and departmental staff – may also have been asked for the additional communication data but he would not confirm who.
“I can only speak for me and my senior staff, including media staff level, will be handing over the relevant details.
“I can’t speak for any other requests that the board is made of anybody else, if they have, then the board of inquiry will be best placed to be able to answer any questions you have.”
A Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesman confirmed secretary Chris Eccles had “received a request from the board of inquiry to submit phone records and will respond accordingly”.
It is not yet clear how many other people have been contacted. The board declined to make any comment. Other staffers at the Department of Premier and Cabinet are likely to be asked to provide records.
The board is seeking to find out who contacted former Chief Commissioner of Police Graham Ashton, who obtained information that private security would be used within six minutes of texting Mr Eccles, that the program was being set up on March 27.
Mr Ashton has said he can’t remember who gave him the information, and Mr Eccles has said it wasn’t him, but both men said their records were incomplete and they were unable to provide incoming calls.
The Sunday Herald Sun revealed on October 4 that the data was available.
The move comes after Mr Andrews faced intense pressure to hand over his call logs after Victoria Police used its closing submission to the inquiry last week to forcefully argue Mr Ashton obtained the information in the mystery six-minute window on March 27.
While the extra phone logs will likely shed light on who contacted who during the first crucial hours when the quarantine program was being established, it is not guaranteed there is a “smoking gun’’ contained within the data. The inquiry is almost certainly not going to reopen public hearings, unless a bombshell is found in the data.
However, any interesting communications between the major players, including those in Mr Andrews’ private office and his department, can be the subject of further requests for information by the bord. It is due to hand down its report on November 6 and is still seeking to find out who made the ultimate decision to hire private security. In farcical scenes, every government witness at the inquiry denied involvement in the decision, including the Premier.
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien welcomed the news but questioned why the information had not been provided initially.
“It should have been done absolutely months ago,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Victorians need to know that none of these text messages have been deleted. Victorians need to know that no other electronic communications have been deleted. This is too important, we need to find out what happened in that missing six minutes.”
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