Whether kept in the dark or incompetent, Jenny Mikakos had to go
The minute Daniel Andrews testified on oath that Jenny Mikakos was to blame for the entire hotel quarantine fiasco, her time was up but the clock had been long ticking.
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It was only a matter of time.
The minute Daniel Andrews testified on oath that Jenny Mikakos was to blame for the entire hotel quarantine fiasco, her time was up.
By Friday night the sense inside the caucus was that she had to go.
In the end Mikakos jumped before she was pushed.
The clock had been long ticking.
A savaging by the Health Workers Union in which she was dubbed incompetent and out of her depth on Wednesday saw her card marked.
But the writing had been on the wall for some time.
Mikakos’ pandemic response had been panned by critics as early as March. In those early days of the crisis, it was readily apparent that her department was woefully under prepared.
Reports quickly emerged of GP clinics and emergency departments overwhelmed with people trying to be tested for COVID-19.
She refused to reveal the number of available swabs and COVID-19 testing kits available but promised all was under control.
Victoria’s contact tracing capability was exposed as woefully inadequate yet she repeatedly praised efforts as world class.
In May as the infamous Cedar Meats cluster spiralled out of control Mikakos refused to accept any responsibility.
The entire saga had been “handled absolutely perfectly” she said.
Either blissfully unaware, or wilfully ignorant, departmental failures were routinely dismissed.
Yet, as the crisis worsened, it became obvious to all watching that things weren’t getting better.
By August Mikakos was taking to Twitter to apologise for failings by her department — a world away from her carefree partying with colleagues in Bali over the Christmas break.
Some inside cabinet had raised concerns about her suitability for the job when she was handed the health portfolio. There was a view that, while she was an incredibly hard worker, she’d be out of her depth.
But with a good team around her perhaps she’d make it work.
She now blames that same team for keeping her in the dark about key aspects of her department’s pandemic response.
They say she simply didn’t ask questions or seek briefings.
She says it wasn’t until the end of May she even realised she was responsible for the hotel quarantine program.
Either she was kept in the dark, or she simply wasn’t across the detail.
In the end, Mikakos fell on her sword.
That’s not to say she accepts responsibility.
Rather its her lost faith in her department and Premier that forced her hand, which means she’s unlikely to go quietly.
She may just take down many more with her.
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