Labor owns the ‘pig headed’ email, whoever wrote it

Daniel Andrews wearing a face mask in 2020. Picture: Getty Images

So who wrote the “pig headed” email?

Premier Jacinta Allan’s office says no “Victorian government employees” were involved.

And, her office says, this blanket denial covers public servants and politicians.

But her office won’t say who wrote and sent it at 10.43am on April 6, 2022.

This is political trickery and treats Victorians with contempt.

We do know that the email was generated as part of a $2m-plus taxpayer-funded political intelligence program run by Labor-linked strategy firm QDOS and co-ordinated in former premier Daniel Andrews private office.

And we also know the Andrews and Allan governments fought for 18 months to keep the offending description — “pig headed know-it-alls” — of Victorians sceptical about Covid-19 lockdowns from being released under FoI.

So regardless of who wrote it, the “pig headed” email is owned by Labor, and the ruthless and cynical political culture that flourished under Andrews.

For all the hundreds of emails, scores of briefing documents and thousands of data points generated by QDOS for Andrews, the five-word “pig headed know-it-alls” insult is perhaps the most telling document yet that speaks the truth about the scandalous use of millions of dollars in public funds on QDOS to help shape the government’s Covid-19 response.

When the April 6 email was first released to The Australian under FoI a year ago, the “pig headed” phrase was redacted. Letting Victorians see the phrase would be “contrary” to the public interest, the government argued.

The Australian appealed and the Victorian information watchdog found in our favour. The black bar was lifted this week, revealing the “pig headed know-it-alls” insult.

That’s how someone — connected enough to either QDOS or the DPC to be captured in the scope of the FoI request — described Victorians sceptical about the Covid lockdown restrictions like curfews, travel limits, school closures and playground bans etc. This

talks to the arrogant and controlling mindset that permeated Labor during 2020-22.

The Australian’s first story revealing QDOS’ behind the scenes role in shaping Andrews’ Covid response appeared in October 2020. Since then, the masthead has been locked in a four-year FoI battle to expose what QDOS, owned and operated by John Armitage, was doing.

Labor strategist John Armitage. Photo – Supplied

We know from the documents released so far that while Andrews was claiming health advice was shaping the government’s response, QDOS was deployed to conduct mass surveys testing their reaction to specific Covid restrictions. That’s not health advice. It’s tactical political advice.

And when things started falling apart for Andrews during the 112-day lockdown in 2020 and his leadership was under threat, QDOS started polling Victorians about his personal performance. To settle the horses, QDOS then briefed Cabinet that despite the hotel quarantine debacle that led to 800 deaths, Victorians still believed Dan was their man.

It’s important to remember the DPC has fought and frustrated the release of QDOS documents and spent 18 months resisting the release of the “pig headed” email. The DPC claimed allowing Victorians to read the “pig headed” reference would be “contrary to the public interest” when, in fact, it was actually contrary to the government’s interest.