Senior bureaucrats within the Andrews government were reportedly notified that using private security firms to police Victoria’s hotel quarantine system would be problematic less than 24 hours after the program was launched.
An email from a top official in the Jobs Department- which regulated contracts with the private security firms – allegedly requested police assistance for overseeing the quarantine system - a request which was not met. Health authorities linked a significant portion of the state’s surge in coronavirus infections to breaches in the hotel quarantine program after private security guards reportedly rorted the system and breached strict social distancing requirements.
When probed about the matter on Tuesday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said it would be inappropriate for him to answer the question and it should be left to the judicial inquiry. “That’s not a matter for me to determine either in fact or to offer you an opinion,” Mr Andrews said. Meanwhile, the Premier revealed an agreement with the Prime Minister would see an additional 1,000 ADF personnel deployed on the ground in Victoria to assist with the health response.
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