We can’t change the past: Daniel Andrews silent on Jenny Mikakos

Daniel Andrews has refused to say whether former health minister Jenny Mikakos was the right person to lead Victoria‘s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

‘What I’m focused on is making sure we can open up safely’: Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Getty Images

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has refused to say whether former health minister Jenny Mikakos was the right person to lead Victoria‘s response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying he’s “not interested” in making reflections on “things that can’t be altered or changed”.

Mr Andrews has not spoken to Ms Mikakos since she resigned on September 26,
after 21 years in parliament.

At the time, Ms Mikakos said she was leaving her job “unfinished” in light of elements in the Premier’s evidence to the hotel quarantine inquiry with which she strongly disagreed.

The Premier told the inquiry he regarded Ms Mikakos and her department as being responsible for the infection control breaches among private security guards in hotel quarantine which led to a second wave of coronavirus which has claimed 800 lives, despite the Department of Health and Human Services having played no part in the decision to hire private security.

Former Victorian Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos. Picture: AAP

No minister, public servant or government staffer has taken responsibility for that decision.

Asked whether he believed in hindsight that Ms Mikakos had been the right person to serve as health minister, Mr Andrews said: “I’m not interested in making reflections on things that can’t be altered or changed. That’s in the past.

“What I’m focused on is making sure we can open up safely,” he said, as Victoria finally began reopening on Wednesday after 16 weeks in stay-at-home lockdown.

“Today is a really, again, with the greatest of respect to those families who are grieving, today is a day where we can be optimistic and positive. We have had two cases … they are not a risk to public health. It is the system working well, and 180,000 people are going back to work today.

“That’s something we should be focused on, not these other matters that we can’t change, and I really do think asking me to unhelpfully speculate or be a commentator — I’m much more interested in getting on and getting things done, and today is a really positive day.”

Judge Jennifer Coate is due to hand down the findings of her hotel quarantine inquiry on November 6, although she has previously indicated she may ask for more time.

Mr Andrews said he had provided a response to a series of supplementary questions put to him by the inquiry last week.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton was also asked for further information, after emails initially withheld from the inquiry appeared to contradict his evidence that he did not know about private security being used in hotel quarantine until guards became infected in late May.