Taxpayer money used to pay for lawyers to represent ministers in hotel quarantine inquiry
Ministers called to give evidence at an inquiry examining the state government’s botched hotel quarantine program are sending the bill for their expensive legal teams straight to Victorians.
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The state government is on track to spend more than $1 million in legal fees to be represented at the hotel quarantine inquiry.
High-powered QCs have already been hired to represent the interests of key ministers at the inquiry, with legal sources estimating daily fees of at least $10,000 each.
Police Minister Lisa Neville was on Tuesday represented by a team of lawyers led by top silk Sue McNicol, QC, who is expert in evidence and privilege law.
Ms McNicol spent four years working for Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions in the fight over the infamous Lawyer X case.
She has also represented ASADA in litigation brought by the Essendon Football Club and former coach James Hird over the “supplements scandal”.
Daniel Andrews has confirmed he will appear before the inquiry next week.
Ms Neville and Health Minister Jenny Mikakos have been asked to provide statements, and expect to be called to give evidence next week.
The Premier said taxpayers would foot the bill for the costs of ministerial legal representation.
“There are longstanding arrangements and these are no different to any other inquiry or Royal Commission process or any similar process,” he said.
More than $400,000 has already been spent preparing for the inquiry.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet has told the parliamentary inquiry into the government’s pandemic response it had been billed $190,000 for work completed to August 11.
The Department of Treasury and Finance said it had yet to be billed, but estimated legal fees for work to August 16 to be about $210,000.
Both departments said they expected to be indemnified by their insurer for those costs.
The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, who has engaged top tier firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth, refused to outline its fees claiming they were “commercial in confidence”.
Victoria Police and Emergency Management Victoria are also central to the inquiry.
Legal sources said much of the cost incurred by departments to date would have been used in preparing for the hearing and claiming privilege over documents.
Concerns have already been raised about documents filed by the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, which was central to establishing the quarantine program.
Jennifer Coate, who is heading the $3 million inquiry, said there had been broad claims for confidentiality attached to many documents filed.
Shadow Attorney-General Ed O’Donohue said fees not covered by insurance would be a waste of taxpayers money used to conceal the truth about the government’s hotel quarantine fiasco.
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