Brett Sutton quits as Victorian Chief Health Officer

Brett Sutton says there were times when the pressure of being Victoria’s chief health officer ‘nearly crushed’ him.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton gives a media conference regarding his resignation. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The man who enabled Daniel Andrews to cite “the health advice” in imposing curfews, playground bans and 262 days of lockdown on Victorians is hanging up his stethoscope, acknowledging that there were times when the pressure of the job “nearly crushed” him.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton became an unwittingly polarising figure at the height of the Covid pandemic, inspiring a line of merchandise which included doona covers, aprons and T-shirts purchased by admirers who saw him as a steady voice in a time of crisis, but drawing ire from those who blamed him for the Andrews government’s hard line approach.

On Friday he announced he would be moving on after more than a decade at Victoria’s health department and four years as CHO, taking up a role as director of health and biosecurity at the CSIRO in September.

Asked about the public attention and pressure that came with the role, Prof Sutton said it would be a “relief to be away from that”.

“I accept that in a crisis that has to sit on your shoulders, there’s no escaping that, and I was in the midst of that beast for a long time,” he said.

“On the one hand, it’s helped me to grow personally and professionally, on the other hand it nearly crushed me, and it certainly weighed upon my family life and I don’t want them to have to carry that in the same way ever again. They won’t. But, what a rock for me to have the family that I do have, and my enormous thanks to them for really carrying me through those times.”

Asked what he had found most difficult, Prof Sutton nominated “the cumulative 16-hour days”.

“It’s sprinting for six months without a day off, and throw in the vitriol and the death threats and the intrusions and the kind of barrage of lies that you see, especially on social media,” he said.

“Critiques are totally fine. Accountability is appropriate to any public office holder. But the BS that is sometimes spouted out there is quite extraordinary sometimes, and as much as you can set it aside, it still weighs on you because it’s directed so vociferously in your direction.

“But you know, it is what it is, and I’ve had so many lovely expressions of thanks today, and the support of my colleagues, and what a magnificent team that supported me through the last three and a half years. My gratitude to them is really unbounded.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton at a daily Covid press conference in Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Andrew Henshaw

Asked about a relationship with Daniel Andrews that former ministers have described as at times being tense, Prof Sutton said he had a “great relationship with the Premier”.

“I don’t see the tensions that might exist between my purist public health view or my role as a statutory officer, and cabinet, or with the whole of the Victorian government as any different from any other jurisdiction in the world. Those tensions will exist. I come with my view and my filter. They have broader considerations and they have constituents that they’re accountable to. But we talked it through, and we came to decisions collectively, and I took responsibility for the things that I signed off on,” he said.

Prof Sutton said Mr Andrews had not contacted him directly since he announced his resignation, but had “very generously” tweeted.

For more than a decade, Professor Sutton has served our state and guided us through some of the most difficult times.

As CHO, Brett helped keep us informed, and above all, safe.

Thank you for your service, and all the very best for your next role.

— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) June 8, 2023

“For more than a decade, Professor Sutton has served our state and guided us through some of the most difficult times,” Mr Andrews wrote.

“As CHO, Brett helped keep us informed, and above all, safe.”

Health department secretary Euan Wallace described Prof Sutton as an “invaluable leader” who had helped to develop a strong and responsive public health team, providing critical health information and advice on a wide variety of issues and emergencies over the years.