Push for Daniel Andrews’ staffers to face hotel quarantine inquiry
Daniel Andrews’ staffers could face a grilling at the hotel quarantine inquiry, with a push for more witnesses to be called. Former police chief commissioner Graham Ashton could also have his phone records revealed, as the lack of clarity continues.
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The state opposition has called on the hotel quarantine inquiry to call further witnesses including Daniel Andrews’ chief of staff.
Shadow Attorney-General Ed O’Donohue on Monda wrote to the inquiry, urging it to get to the bottom of who made the decision to use private security to monitor the scheme.
Mr O’Donohue said the decision was vital to the inquiry’s work and that there was ample time before its report was due on November 6 to call further evidence.
Mr O’Donohue said there was evidence before the inquiry that former police chief commissioner Graham Ashton was informed of the decision, but it was not clear who relayed the information.
“The opposition suggests to the Board that it call evidence those who hold the necessary authority to give such advice to Mr Ashton,” he said.
“This is a confined cohort and could include the Premier’s Chief of Staff, the Police Minister’s Chief of Staff or a senior DPC (Department of Premier and Cabinet) Deputy Secretary with operational oversight for hotel quarantine security.”
Mr O’Donohue has also urged the inquiry to call for Mr Ashton’s phone records to clarify who he spoke with at critical points in time.
The Premier on Monday refused to be drawn on whether or not his chief of staff, Lissie Ratcliff, should be called.
But he said he was not aware of any reason why she shouldn’t be called.
“At the same time that is so far from being a matter for me. Who they call is entirely a matter for them – entirely,” he said.
“They have made those decisions completely separate from government and if there were any implication or inference to the contrary, I am saying that would be simply wrong.“They have decided who they should call. They decided what they should ask the people that they called.”
But Mr Andrews said he questioned assertions that his chief of staff was in a “key decision-making role”.
“She supports me and other ministers in the Government through the team that she leads. She is not a decision maker,” he said.
“Those decisions are made by people who are not working in a private office. Really significant decisions, not day-to-day stuff. They’re made by people who are sworn and accountable for that.”
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