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Coronavirus Australia: Daniel Andrews won’t be drawn on whether Eccles’ quarantine inquiry admission ‘good enough’

His departmental secretary couldn’t say who decided on private security for hotel quarantine. The Premier won’t say if that’s good enough.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, left, and his departmental secretary Chris Eccles, right. Pictures: News Corp/Supplied
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, left, and his departmental secretary Chris Eccles, right. Pictures: News Corp/Supplied

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has refused to say whether or not he thinks it is “good enough” that his departmental secretary Chris Eccles was unable to tell the hotel quarantine inquiry who was responsible for making the decision to engage private security guards as part of the government‘s bungled program.

Appearing before the board of inquiry on Monday, Mr Eccles said he was not aware of how thousands of private security guards became the “frontier of enforcement” in a program costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, despite his department briefing Mr Andrews and overseeing the establishment of the scheme.

Mr Eccles was also unable to say whether he had passed on to the Premier an offer of Australian Defence Force support made by Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Phil Gaetjens in an April 8 email.

“I’m not saying that I didn’t. I’m saying that I’m not aware that I did or I didn’t,“ Mr Eccles told the inquiry when pressed on the issue by Counsel Assisting on Monday.

Asked at his Tuesday press conference whether it was “good enough” for Mr Eccles not to know who made the decision to engage private security, Mr Andrews refused to be drawn.

“As I’ve consistently said, there’s a process going on at the moment,” he said.

“It’s important that process runs to its logical conclusion and that will be findings, guidance, all sorts of material that will come out of that.

“They‘ll make recommendations, I would think, about what next steps should be and I’ll leave it to the inquiry, which I’m assisting later this week, to do that important work.”

Mr Andrews is due to front the inquiry at 2.15pm on Friday.

“What I‘m asked is a matter for Counsel Assisting. I can confirm to you that I’ll be truthful, absolutely honest and direct,” Mr Andrews said of his forthcoming appearance at the inquiry.

‘Why so forgetful?’

Following an unrelated observation from his Aged Care Minister Luke Donnellan that it is “Dementia Action Week”, Mr Andrews was asked why so many of his top bureaucrats have been unable to recall answers to key questions during the inquiry.

“The inquiry has not concluded its work and the answers that we need, the answers that we don‘t have, is exactly why the inquiry was set up, not for the avoidance of those answers but to get them, and of course, the fullest and most detailed way in which we’ll get those answers is when the inquiry has concluded its work,” the Premier said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will appear at the inquiry on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Crosling
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will appear at the inquiry on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Crosling

However, Mr Andrews was unable to say whether Victorians would know who was responsible for key decisions at the conclusion of the inquiry.

“My only expectation is that the inquiry will do its work without fear or favour, and as to what‘s in their report, what findings they make, that’s entirely a matter for them, and the final report is still some way off, but I’m very confident that they are thoroughly examining all the issues that they believe are relevant and which were set out in the terms of reference,” the Premier said.

Asked whether the inquiry would have done its job if it was unable to determine who decided to hire private security guards, Mr Andrews said he could not comment on an “entirely hypothetical matter”.

“All of those matters can be settled one way or the other when the final report is handed up and then we can have a discussion then,” he said.

Asked whether his memory would be as vague as those of others who have so far appeared at the inquiry when he gives evidence on Friday, Mr Andrews said: “You can make judgments about the memories of others. When I appear before the inquiry I‘ll answer the questions as honestly, frankly, clearly, directly as possible.”

‘I stand by all my statements’

Mr Andrews told state parliament‘s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee in August: “I think it is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no. That’s not, in my judgment, accurate,“ having been asked whether or not the federal government offered Victoria Australian Defence Force assistance with hotel quarantine.

Asked whether he stood by that statement, Mr Andrews said: “I can confirm for you that the statements I have made, I stand by.”

Challenged over how he could stand by his statements, given they directly contradict evidence such as the email exchange between Mr Gaetjens and Mr Eccles, Mr Andrews said: “In your view they may do that, but can I say to you, it‘s not for any of us here to be pretending to do the work that the inquiry is doing.”

“It‘s getting on with its job. Let’s let it do that, and then at the end of that process, we’ll be in a position where we can look at the findings that they make, the recommendations they hand down, and have a much more expansive discussion.”
Mr Andrews said he would accept all recommendations made by the inquiry.

‘These mistakes are unacceptable’

Asked whether he had made any recommendations to the public service to ensure they keep better records in future, Mr Andrews said: “I don‘t know that I have specifically drawn those matters to people’s attention, but certainly they are clear that, as I am, mistakes have been made with this program.”

“They‘re not acceptable to me. I don’t think anybody in any senior position, whether it be in the executive, or in the public service, are in any doubt about my views on these matters. These mistakes are unacceptable,” Mr Andrews said.

“The fact that we can‘t answer some of these questions, and couldn’t at the time when it became apparent that there had been outbreaks and the virus had got out, that is exactly why an inquiry was set up.

Melbourne’s Stamford Plaza Hotel — one of the main scenes of quarantine breaches. Picture: William West/AFP
Melbourne’s Stamford Plaza Hotel — one of the main scenes of quarantine breaches. Picture: William West/AFP

“If those answers had been available at the time, then perhaps we would have been able to take action at that time. Different steps. But we didn‘t have those answers and that’s why the inquiry has been set up, but be in no doubt, because I don’t believe anyone in any position of authority is in any doubt, those mistakes are unacceptable to me and the Victorian community.”

Asked whether he was confident that there are appropriate chains of command in the public service currently to ensure people know who is responsible for different aspects of the pandemic response, Mr Andrews said: “Yes, I am, and if I took you to the reset of the hotel quarantine program, then I think that is a case in point.”

‘Too early to say’ when international arrivals will resume

Mr Andrews said it was too early to say whether he would wait for the inquiry’s findings to be handed down in November before reopening the hotel quarantine program to international arrivals.

“This is challenging in that obviously the inquiry needs until early November to hand down its report,” Mr Andrews said.

“I think it would be unwise for us to make final judgments about what the replacement looks like without having the benefit of the inquiry‘s report.

“Having said that, though, there is a lot of work going on now even to be ready for the day in which we‘re able to have those flights land again, so, it’s a bit of a balance.

“I think we can strike that, even if I might say that might mean flights return a little later than they otherwise would have, but given what‘s at stake, I think that’s the right call.”
Mr Andrews said the new program would be “very different”, with Corrections Victoria already having taken over running the scheme.
“As for the final design, I think it‘s a bit tricky to answer your question definitively,” he said.

“We need to wait for the thing that we don‘t have yet, which is the report, and whatever it might say, but there’s some work going on at the moment to be ready to make sure that we can have flights on the ground as soon as is safe.”

Timing ‘a matter for inquiry’

Asked why his appearance at the hotel quarantine inquiry had been moved from Wednesday to 2:15pm on Friday, Mr Andrews said: “It‘s entirely a matter for the board. They have made a decision. They’re running a schedule. They’re hearing from witnesses. They will make their arrangements.”
Mr Andrews said he had not had any input regarding the timing.
“Just to be clear: none whatsoever,” he said.

“The board decides who gets called and for how long, and on what day and at what time. That‘s not a matter for me.”

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coronavirus-australia-daniel-andrews-wont-be-drawn-on-whether-eccles-quarantine-inquiry-admission-good-enough/news-story/2d20e8becfe72729b812863a7e583c0f