Mick Batskos the gatekeeper keeping lockdown information secret

A $100,000 hired gun is helping the Andrews government fight the release of secret briefings used to justify Victoria’s lengthy lockdown.

Lawyer Mick Batskos has been paid by the Andrews government to help it block Freedom of Information requests.

A hired gun has been paid more than $100,000 by the Department of Health in the last financial year to help keep information secret from Victorians.

Now the Sunday Herald Sun can reveal legal expert Mick Batskos has been brought in to help fight the release of secret briefings used to justify sending Victoria into lockdown.

For more than a decade Mr Batskos has acted as a government gatekeeper by advising on how to use exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act to block the release of embarrassing or sensitive requests.

Mr Batskos is regarded in government circles as a “guru” with an encyclopaedic knowledge of how best to use exemptions in the Act.

In the last financial year he was paid $128,795 by the Department of Health to help block requests for information.

Despite each department and agency already having staff responsible for processing FOI requests, Mr Batskos issued 51 invoices to the department for work handling dozens of requests.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and chief health officer Brett Sutton at a daily Covid press conference. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

But the actual amount paid to Mr Batskos is expected to be significantly higher because he also represents other departments, agencies and authorities.

Mr Batskos has been used extensively by the Andrews government, and before that the Coalition government.

He is behind a fight not to release secret briefings used to justify sending Victoria into lockdown.

Lawyers for the Department of Health have appealed against an explosive decision by Victoria’s privacy watchdog ordering the release of more than 100 pages of departmental briefings.

The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner had ruled releasing the material was in the public interest.

But an application for review of the decision, lodged on Friday with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, argued deputy commissioner Joanne Kummrow was wrong in her ruling.

Ms Kummrow ordered the release of a 17 page detailed brief and seven other attachments.

The Department of Health released one of the attachments but has refused to release the other documents.

Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House, David Davis, said Victorians deserved better than a fight for release of the information.

A government spokeswoman said: “The Victorian Government retains a panel of legal firms which provide expert advice and services across all departments.”