Coronavirus: Daniel Andrews health chief Kym Peake steps down

Kym Peake has resigned, becoming the third leader of the Andrews government’s pandemic response to step down.

Kym Peake.

Victorian Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kym Peake has resigned, becoming the third leader of the Andrews government’s pandemic response to step down amid the hotel quarantine inquiry.

Ms Peake’s resignation on Thursday afternoon follows that of former health minister Jenny Mikakos and former secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet Chris Eccles, as questions linger over who was responsible for the establishment of the ill-fated scheme, which was administered by DHHS but not designed by that department.

It comes as retired judge Jennifer Coate prepares to hand down the findings of her investigation into the Andrews government’s disastrous hotel quarantine program on December 21.

Breaches by private security guards led to Victoria’s second wave of coronavirus, which killed 800 people and prompted a rigid 3½-month lockdown.

Ms Peake was recently asked to provide a new statement to the Coate inquiry after giving evidence the program was run across several government departments with “shared accountability”, contradicting Premier Daniel Andrews’ statement to the inquiry that DHHS was accountable for the scheme and had carriage of it.

A further statement was also requested from Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, after DHHS emails emerged that appeared to contradict written and verbal evidence he gave to the inquiry that he was not aware security guards were being used in hotel quarantine until coronavirus cases emerged at the end of May.

After heading up DHHS for the past five years, Ms Peake ann­ounced her decision to quit in an email to staff on Thursday afternoon, crediting them with an “enormous collective effort” that has resulted in Victoria having just three known active cases.

Victoria’s active case load peaked at 7880 in August, up from a low of 40 in early June as the second wave was emerging.

“You know that I believe in depth of leadership and the importance of new perspectives. This is how we will continue to maintain the hard-won gains against the virus and ensure we build back better,” Ms Peake wrote.

“After deep reflection, I have decided to leave the department. I do so knowing I leave it in incredibly capable hands.”

Premier Daniel Andrews said Ms Peake had stepped down “to pursue other opportunities”.

“Ms Peake has led significant reform that has touched the lives of many Victorians, including the relief and recovery from recent bushfires, the establishment of the Mental Health Royal Commission, and the delivery of many of the recommendations from the Family Violence Royal Commission,” he said in a statement.

“We thank Ms Peake for her dedicated service to Victoria and her tireless commitment.”

Mr Andrews said obstetrician, gynaecologist and chief executive of Safer Care Victoria Euan Wallace would replace Ms Peake, effective from next Tuesday.

When he was cross-examined by the hotel quarantine inquiry in September, Mr Andrews agreed that it concerned him that Ms Peake and Ms Mikakos “seem to have not seen themselves as having accountability (for the hotel quarantine program)”.

The next day, Ms Mikakos resigned, saying “there are elements in (the Premier’s statement) that I strongly disagree with”.

Mr Eccles resigned after his phone records confirmed he had called then police commissioner Graham Ashton during a crucial six-minute period on March 27.

After hanging up the phone, Mr Ashton sent a text message indicating he understood the Department of Premier and Cabinet had made a decision to use private security in quarantine hotels.