Trace Covid-19 cases, not harmless leaks in Victoria

If the Andrews government were as energetic about improving its contact tracing of coronavirus cases as it is about tracing media leaks, Victorians and the nation would be far better off. As Ewin Hannan reports, a public servant is under investigation by Victoria Police’s E-Crime Squad for the alleged leaking of documents to the Herald Sun revealing the state government’s “road map to recovery’’. The newspaper published the much sought-after information on September 3, days ahead of a planned announcement by Mr Andrews. At the time, he claimed the documents were out of date and had no status. Apparently not. Given the long-suffering public’s endurance of the lockdown, curfew and restrictions to personal liberty, it would have made more sense if the government had released its draft proposals to allow feedback from those most affected — the public — before announcing the final plan. We are, after all, supposedly “all in this together’’ — until politicians want to hush something up. If Victoria’s contact tracing system were more effective, Mr Andrews would surely have been sufficiently confident to open the economy and allow greater freedom, as has NSW.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is also showing a regrettable penchant for secrecy in relation to COVID-19, despite intense public interest. Her government has refused to release $528,000 worth of taxpayer-funded polling into Queenslanders’ attitudes towards COVID-19. In nine days, Ms Palaszczuk will ask voters to back her handling of the crisis, which she has repeatedly claimed is based on the advice of the state’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeannette Young. But Ms Palaszczuk has refused repeatedly to release the polling, which is believed to canvass voter attitudes to controversial issues such as the economically devastating border lockdown. Now her department has refused a Right to Information request by The Australian to release its contract with pollster Ipsos, on the ground it is “confidential” and the pollster needs to be consulted. Rubbish. It was paid for by the public, to canvass public opinion on a matter of public interest. There is no reason for secrecy. “There’s no secrecy,” Ms Palaszczuk told voters while campaigning on Fitzroy Island on the Great Barrier Reef, near Cairns, on Thursday. Yes, Premier. Asked whether the research contained anything controversial she said: “No, there’s nothing.” Then release it.

Ms Palaszczuk has copied the Andrews government in some key policy areas, including euthanasia. If returned on Saturday week, however, she would do her state a grave disservice if she emulated Victoria’s habitual secrecy. Those familiar with the workings of his government would never mistake Mr Andrews’ rambling daily briefings for open government. For example, after almost three months, the Coate inquiry has been unable to get to the bottom of a simple question that should have taken a few hours to answer — who authorised the appointment of private contractors to oversee hotel quarantining?

Less obvious but deeply concerning is Victoria’s veil of secrecy over legal proceedings. Last year, the state granted the highest number of court suppres­sion orders in the nation. The 441 orders granted equalled the number in all other jurisdictions combined and compared with 160 orders in NSW, which had the next-highest number. So far this year, the 235 suppression orders granted in Victoria (not counting 154 orders over matters in the state’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal) compares with 103 in NSW, 122 in South Australia and 11 in Queensland.

For secrecy and catastrophic cover-ups, however, it is impossible to go past the decades-long scandal of Lawyer X (Nicola Gobbo, the former barrister turned police snitch). It amounted to the worst police corruption in the nation’s history, destroyed Victorians’ trust in their police force and will cost the public many millions of dollars. The debacle arose through lack of police and government accountability and transparency. And it came to light only as a result of the efforts of a free press that was much maligned by authorities as revelations emerged. In its desperation to keep its conduct secret, Victoria Police squandered millions of dollars relentlessly pressuring Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper, which broke the story of Lawyer X on March 31, 2014. The aim was to force the paper to bury the story, to the immense detriment of the public interest. In the same vein, inquiries into Victoria’s drug squad in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2007 found a “lack of accountability’’ had enabled misconduct and corruption.

However annoying for government, business and others, leaks are a healthy part of democracy. So is FOI, when it functions well. Politicians resort to secrecy to conceal what they know voters will not like. But the public is entitled to make informed judgments about those it elects and funds. That is why the right to know is sacrosanct.