Coronavirus: Victoria Health officer Annaliese van Diemen has form on tweets

Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer has a long record of politically partisan comments, as Malcolm Turnbull weighs in.

Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen. Picture: AAP.

Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer has a long and extensive record of politically partisan and controversial tweets, including attacks­ on Liberal politicians and praise for Labor politicians and clim­ate activist Greta Thunberg.

Annaliese van Diemen’s arch­ive of controversial tweets — which preceded her comparison on Wednesday of Captain Cook and COVID-19 — have come to light as Victoria’s Public Sector Commission confirmed on Friday it would investigate whether the senior public health official had contravened the state’s Public ­Administration Act.

The probe came as Premier Daniel Andrews refused to reprimand the Deputy Chief Health Officer, saying she was doing an “amazing” job.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull weighed in on Dr van Diemen’s comments on Saturday, asking whether “people had lost their minds” in demanding her resignation.

“Sure, comparing Covid virus to Cook’s arrival was a contentious long bow drawn,” Mr Turnbull said. “BUT have people really so lost their minds (& respect for free speech) as to demand the resignation of Victoria’s very capable deputy CMO in the middle of a pandemic?”

Sure, comparing Covid virus to Cook’s arrival was a contentious long bow drawn by @annaliesevd BUT have people really so lost their minds (& respect for free speech) as to demand the resignation of Victoria’s very capable deputy CMO in the middle of a pandemic?

— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) May 2, 2020

Dr van Diemen’s posts include retweeting human rights lawyer and former Greens candid­ate Jul­ian Burnside’s claim in 2014 that student Freya Newman ­“deserves a medal, not a penalty” for hacking into then prime minister Tony Abbott’s daughter’s scholarship file.

Student Freya Newman pleads guilty to hacking Frances Abbott design scholarship files http://t.co/WtzSuD19k1 Deserves a medal, not a penalty

— Julian Burnside (@JulianBurnside) September 21, 2014

She tweeted later that year that 20 minutes with former federal­ Labor minister Nicola Roxon “made” her year, and that she did “so love listening­ to Paul Keating speak. #RIPGoughWhitlam” on the day of forme­r Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam’s funeral.

20 minutes with Nicola Roxon. Year made. #advocacyinaction

— Dr Annaliese van Diemen (@annaliesevd) October 16, 2014

She retweeted several tweets to Mr Abbott from refugee activist Kon Karapanagiotidis, including a sarcastic tweet making reference to the then prime minister’s views on abortion, saying: “Thankfully we don't have anyone in power with a #sexist attitude towards a woman's right to an #abortion.”

Thankfully we don't have anyone in power with a #sexist attitude towards a woman's right to an #abortion. #qanda pic.twitter.com/cKx3F6n60k

— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) August 10, 2015

While watching the ABC’s Q&A, she tweeted: “Wow — just agreed with (then Liberal minister) Kelly O’Dwyer …’’

Feminist writer Clementine Ford. Picture: Chelsea Heaney.

She retweeted a quote from writer Richard Flanagan: “Money is like shit, if you let it pile up it stinks. Spread it around and things will grow,’’ and a tweet from feminist activist Clementine Ford: "Feminists need to stop reassuring men that we love them. Get behind us or get out of the way.’’

Richard Flanagan- Money is like shit, if you let it pile up it stinks. Spread it around and things will grow.

— Dr Annaliese van Diemen (@annaliesevd) December 9, 2014

Last year, Dr van Diemen issued a series of tweets supporting federal Labor’s controversial medivac legislation, and tweeted at federal Health Minister Greg Hunt: “Minister Hunt: many challenges in global health facing us, including those posed by climate change.”  

Minister Hunt: many challenges in Global Health facing us, including those posed by climate change such as vector borne disease #GHS2019

— Dr Annaliese van Diemen (@annaliesevd) June 18, 2019

In response to The Final Quarter, a documentary about AFL footballer Adam Goodes, Dr van Diemen tweeted that Australia was a “racist nation”.

She also issued a series of tweets about teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, including a reference to Scott Morrison’s comment “We’ve got to let kids be kids’’, ­saying: “Says the man who kept children in indefinite detention until they almost died, and who continues to keep children in detention now.’’

I am EXTREMELY inspired by Greta Thunberg's refusal to smile or make jokes throughout all this media coverage. To see a woman so young not give up any of her power to ease the tension in the room is wildly thrilling and significant. I hope it's contagious.

— Margo Claire (@margowithan_o) September 23, 2019

“I’ve always liked kids to be kids. And we’ve got to let kids be kids.”

Says the man who kept children in indefinite detention until they almost died, and who continues to keep children in detention now. https://t.co/5QvWyrwvIZ

— Dr Neela Janakiramanan, FRACS (@NeelaJan) September 25, 2019

In an attack on Victorians questioning the state’s hard line physical distancing measures, including a ban on golf, Dr van Diemen last month issued a series of tweets referencing the 2011 death in an ICU ward of her sister. “The next time you want to talk about not playing golf, or any other loophole, please remember that all we’re thinking about, all the time, is not filling ICUs with people you love,” Dr van Diemen tweeted.

And the next time you want to talk about not playing golf, or any other loophole, please remember that all we’re thinking about, all the time, is not filling ICUs with people you love.

— Dr Annaliese van Diemen (@annaliesevd) April 19, 2020

Acting Victorian Public Sector Commissioner Julia Griffith confirmed on Friday she would investigate Dr van Diemen’s Captain Cook tweet, following a referral from the state opposition.

Wednesday’s tweet stated: “Sudden arrival of an invader from another land, decimating popul­ations, creating terror. Forces the population to make enormous sacrifices & completely change how they live in order to survive. COVID-19 or Cook 1770?’’

Sudden arrival of an invader from another land, decimating populations, creating terror. Forces the population to make enormous sacrifices & completely change how they live in order to survive. COVID19 or Cook 1770?

— Dr Annaliese van Diemen (@annaliesevd) April 29, 2020

Victoria’s Public Administration Act stipulates that public servants­ must adhere to a code of conduct and social media guidelines. The code of conduct states employees must “conduct themselves in an apolitical manner”.

Muslim activist and engineer Yassmin Abdel-Magied weighed in to the debate, likening Dr van Diemen’s position to her own, after she sparked outrage in 2017 by tweeting in reference to Anzac Day: “Lest. We. Forget (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine …)”

I’ve spoken ad nauseam about the price I paid for a social media post n the betrayal felt when folks in power said nothing.

Folks have since said they’re sorry, they wouldn’t want that to happen again.

Well, I sense an opportunity for ppl to come thru. History needn’t repeat.

— Yassmin Abdel-Magied (she/her) (@yassmin_a) May 1, 2020

“I’ve spoken ad nauseam about the price I paid for a social media post n (sic) the betrayal felt when folks in power said nothing,” she tweeted. “Folks have since said they’re sorry, they wouldn’t want that to happen again. Well, I sense an opportunity for ppl to come thru. History needn’t repeat.”