Text messages reveal Police Minister questioning need for ADF at hotel quarantine

Leaked text messages have revealed Victoria’s police minister questioned the need for the defence force to guard hotel quarantine rooms.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

Leaked text messages released at a probe into Victoria’s hotel inquiry have revealed the state’s police minister strongly questioned the use of the defence force to guard rooms because “no one leaves!!”.

Victoria’s Police Minister Lisa Neville’s private text exchanges with the state’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp on June 25 have exposed the resistance to the involvement of the Defence Force.

“The use of the army in hotels? That was not agreed at CCc (crisis cabinet) yesterday but is that what we will be doing? And what will they be doing,’’ she asked.

In response, Mr Crisp replies that he had been advised they would be monitoring compliance with quarantine requirements.

“This is seen very much as an interim option while other options such as police/PSOs are explored,’’ he said.

In this message Police Minister Lisa Neville questions what ADF would do at a quarantined hotel.

Police Minister Lisa Neville asks if the ADF will just be used in hotels.

Ms Neville then advised Mr Crisp to discuss it with “Graham”, a reference to the Victorian Police Commissioner but again questioned the use of the military.

“OK … not sure what they do at hotels given no one leaves!! And they have no powers,’’ Ms Neville replied.

The hotel inquiry has subsequently heard shock evidence that some travellers were allowed to leave as quickly as three days after a positive test if they were not displaying symptoms.

The bungled scheme has been linked by scientists to the majority of thousands of cases in the state’s second wave with the “Patient zero” tracked to a family who stayed in the hotel quarantine scheme after returning from overseas.

But the use of the military has proved a flashpoint between the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Victorian Premier over claims that defence force assistance was offered but rejected by Victoria.

Earlier, Victoria’s most senior public servant revealed he was unaware how it was decided to use private security in Melbourne’s troubled hotel quarantine program.

Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Chris Eccles appeared before the hotel inquiry today.

He was asked by counsel assisting, Rachel Ellyard, if he knew how the decision to use private security for the scheme came to be made.

“Do you yourself know, Mr Eccles, how it was a decision was reached that private security would be the front tier of enforcement?” Ms Ellyard asked.

“No, I am not aware,” Mr Eccles replied.

Ms Ellyard was further pressed on why he couldn’t explain who was behind the decision to create such a large, costly program.

“A decision to engage private security ended employing thousands of people and costing tens of millions of dollars. Shouldn’t we be able to say who made it, as a matter of proper governance?” she asked.

Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville.

Mr Eccles replied there were multiple agencies involved in collective decision making on complex problems.

“No one of them is the repository of all information that goes to bear to the question,” he said.

During cross examination, Arthur Moses SC, representing Unified Security, asked Mr Eccles if he had since become aware of how the decision to use private security was made.“No I haven’t,” he said.

Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Chris Eccles is examined at the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry.

Mr Eccles attended the national cabinet meeting on March 27 in which it was announced hotel quarantine for returned travellers would come into effect.

That same day, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton sent Mr Eccles a text, saying he had word from Canberra about a hotel quarantine plan in which travellers would be guarded by police.

Mr Eccles said at this time, he was aware of the quarantine scheme, but not aware of any plan to use police as guards.

Minutes later, Mr Ashton appeared to have received confirmation that private security — not police — would be used.

He couldn’t recall at the inquiry where the information came from.

Mr Ashton then texted Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw saying his advice is that “ADF will do passenger transfer and private security will be used”.

Mr Eccles was asked if he knew at that time of any involvement by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, on details of what Victoria’s security arrangements would be.“I’m not,” he said.

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp giving evidence at the hotel quarantine inquiry.

Mr Eccles told Dan Star QC, for the Chief Commissioner, his phone records do not reveal he responded to Mr Ashton.

He said he had not checked with his inner circle of staff to see if they responded to Mr Ashton’s text question on his behalf.

The inquiry was shown a transcript of Premier Daniel Andrews’ press conference just after the Prime Minister’s announcement of the hotel quarantine program.

Mr Andrews says that police, private security and the government’s health team will be working together to monitor compliance in a static location.He also mentions “we’ve been working on this for quite some time” and that the co-operation means 500 police working on coronavirus enforcement will be freed up to “get to even more homes where people are supposed to be quarantining”.

Mr Eccles said he had no awareness of police, private security and the health team working together in this way and could not speculate on what the premier meant.