Victoria forced to cut ADF hotel quarantine request ahead of Monday start

The Andrews government has been forced into a last-minute revision of its request for Australian Defence Force assistance in its revamped hotel quarantine program after the ADF rejected their initial proposal.

Australians returning from overseas will land in Melbourne from Monday, the first international arrivals since Premier Daniel Andrews halted flights because COVID-19 had escaped quarantine hotels via private security guards and workers, triggering Victoria's second wave of infections.

ADF personnel arriving at Tullamarine on Friday afternoon.Credit: Paul Jeffers

Announcing the program earlier this week, Police Minister Lisa Neville and Mr Andrews said Victoria would request the support of a total of 220 ADF personnel on a rotation basis alongside 300 Victoria Police officers every day.

The key sticking point between the ADF and state government was that Victoria wanted troops to assist police in patrolling every floor of 'hot' hotels housing only coronavirus-positive patients, which the ADF was unwilling to do.

Instead, they will support police in hotel lobbies by helping residents enter and exit, as well as registering staff movements and temperature checking workers before their shift.

Police alone will play the lead security role in all hotels and monitor floors of 'hot' hotels - a role undertaken by private security guards in Victoria's first iteration of its hotel quarantine program.

ADF troops became a regular sight on Melbourne's streets during the second wave.Credit: Penny Stephens

A Victorian government spokeswoman on Friday confirmed the reduction in ADF personnel. "The original request from Victoria has been scaled back after the ADF advised that they were not able to undertake any security type work or perform floor monitoring roles in the health hotels," she said.

The first 100 ADF troops arrived to begin training in Melbourne on Friday afternoon, including 75 on a KC-30 tanker aircraft from Townsville, with further support expected over the weekend and early next week.

"The remainder of the ADF contingent will arrive by Tuesday and will be inducted by police throughout the week," the state government spokeswoman said.

The last-minute disagreement follows a major flashpoint over Victoria's ill-fated first hotels program, when Mr Andrews insisted mass ADF support was not on offer as Victoria instead relied solely on private security guards to monitor returned travellers.

New South Wales, by comparison, used some private security and a larger number of ADF troops in its quarantine program that has avoided a significant leakage of COVID-19 into the community.

Federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds released documents in response to Mr Andrews' comments that showed ADF personnel had been offered on more than one occasion, but was rejected.

Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said the revision showed the Andrews government was still unprepared ahead of the quarantine hotels reopening to overseas travellers from Monday.

"Daniel Andrews has had months to get his revamped hotel quarantine program right, yet is still scrambling just days from arrivals landing," Mr Southwick said on Friday.

"With Labor’s first hotel quarantine program resulting in 801 deaths and countless economic and social harms, Victorians simply cannot afford this to go wrong again."

Police and Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville.Credit: Darrian Traynor

The Victorian government on Friday also unveiled its pricing for international arrivals who, unlike the first hotels program, will have to pay for their 14-day quarantine.

Every adult will pay $3000, with an additional charge of $1000 for each adult in a room and $500 for children aged three to 18. Children under three will quarantine for free.

Police Minister Lisa Neville, the minister in charge of the reset hotels program, said the prices were in line with other states including New South Wales and South Australia.

"Moving to a fee contribution model is consistent with the decision of National Cabinet and brings us into line with other states and territories," she said.

"It also ensures that when international flights to Victoria resume, we do not get a disproportionate number of returned travellers seeking to complete their mandatory quarantine period here to avoid the fees in other states."

Ms Neville said Australians experiencing financial hardship can apply for a free reduction or waiver. The $3000 charge covers part of the accommodation, security, transport, logistics and meal costs, with the state government subsidising the remaining amount.

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