Jobs Minister Martin Pakula confirms his department played a role in hotel quarantine, says health department oversaw infection control

A Victorian minister confirmed his department played a role in the botched hotel quarantine program but baulked at who was responsible for infection control.

Victorian Jobs Minister Martin Pakula has confirmed his department played a role in the State Government’s botched hotel quarantine program, thought to be responsible for unleashing the state’s second virus wave.

But the under-pressure minister deflected matters of infection control to the Department of Health and Human Services, refusing to call out Health Minister Jenny Mikakos.

Mr Pakula said his department staff were primarily responsible for logistics such as “the booking of rooms, the organising of meals and laundry” while facing questions at a parliament inquiry scrutinising the Victorian Government’s pandemic response.

“In regards to matters of infection control, the control agency was the Department of Health and Human Services,” he told the hearing on Wednesday.

When the deputy chairman of the inquiry, Liberal MP Richard Riordan, attempted to confirm that meant Ms Mikakos was responsible for virus management matters, Mr Pakula baulked.

“I’m not speaking in regards to responsibilities of individuals or ministers. I’m saying that under the operational plan the operation control and responsibilities for infection control and health matters lay with the Department of Health and Human Services.”

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos is under fire over the State Government’s handling of the botched hotel quarantine program. Picture: Andrew Henshaw/NCA NewsWire

Mr Pakula’s department secretary Simon Phemister also told the hearing a decision to use private security contractors to oversee hotel quarantine, instead of Australian Defence Force personnel, was made at a meeting on March 27.

Mr Phemister could not say who else was at the meeting, other than that it was chaired by Victorian emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp.

“We were directed through that meeting, and indeed we volunteered to run the procurement for private security after that meeting,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews controversially claimed ADF support was not offered while facing the same inquiry on Tuesday.

“I don‘t believe ADF support was on offer,” Mr Andrews said.

“It‘s been provided in limited circumstances in New South Wales, not to provide security as such but to provide transportation from the airport to hotels.

“I think it is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no. That‘s not, in my judgment, accurate.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews appears via video link at a Victorian parliamentary inquiry where he said no ADF support was offered to help oversee hotel quarantine. Picture: Facebook via NCA NewsWire

But Defence Minister Linda Reynolds contradicted the claim, saying the ADF was “consistently advised” Victoria did not need army assistance with the hotel quarantine system.

In a statement, Ms Reynolds said an application for 850 ADF personnel to assist with quarantining returning travellers was made on June 24 before it was withdrawn the following day.

“ADF officials asked whether Victorian authorities required assistance with its mandatory quarantine system on multiple occasions,” she said.

“No request for quarantine support was subsequently received from Victoria at that time.

“On 12 April 2020, Victorian authorities reaffirmed to ADF officials that all quarantine compliance monitoring operations were within Victorian authorities’ capacity.”

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