Sky News host RitaPanahi says the inquiry into Victoria’s hotel quarantine “just doesn’t have that desire to uncover the truth that you would expect a board of inquiry to have.”
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Sky News host Rita Panahi says the inquiry into Victoria’s hotel quarantine “just doesn’t have that desire to uncover the truth that you would expect a board of inquiry to have.” Her comments come after the inquiry into Victoria's failed hotel quarantine program held an extraordinary hearing on Tuesday to unravel conflicting evidence.
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Sutton, Andrews and Mikakos could be forced to attend extraordinary inquiry hearing | Sky News AustraliaThe inquiry into Victoria's failed hotel quarantine inquiry will today hold an extraordinary hearing as the board tries to unravel conflicting evidence.\n\nThe hearing comes after the evidence-gathering stage and before the final report is handed down in just over two weeks.\n\nChief Health Officer Brett Sutton has come under increasing pressure to produce a coherent narrative after he testified before the inquiry saying he had nothing to do with the hotel quarantine scheme and specifically was not aware private security guards were being used until July.\n\nEmails from the department of health indicate he was aware potentially as early as May and is likely to be hauled back before the inquiry to provide further evidence.\n\nIt is a criminal offence to deliberately mislead the inquiry.\n\nFormer Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and Premier Daniel Andrews could also be called back by the inquiry board. \n
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Secret Brett Sutton email chain may delay inquiry report | Sky News AustraliaThe Chair of the hotel quarantine inquiry Jennifer Coate has told the inquiry new developments including the previously missing email chain from professor Brett Sutton may “unsettle the due date” for her report.\n\nJustice Coate said although the email chain from Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has been recovered, there is still “further material being collected” including a sworn affidavit as to why it was missing. \n\n“After receipt of this further material that is being sought and only at that point will I be in a position to determine what if anything further needs to occur,” she said.\n\n“Most unfortunately of course these new developments may unsettle the due date for the report.\n\n“As soon as I am in receipt of that outstanding material, if the report date is affected and needs to be extended I will advise the premier and seek any necessary extension.”\n\nIt comes as Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has been asked to submit an affidavit as the hotel quarantine inquiry seeks an explanation as to why key emails weren't tendered.\n\nCounsel assisting the inquiry Tony Neal QC said, 'those assisting you are in the process of seeking a response in the form of an affidavit from Professor Sutton, two specific questions posed by the board and focusing on those emails'.\n\n'According to the statutory requirements, that response would be due some seven days after it is served; it's expected that will occur shortly,' he said.
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Brett Sutton ‘has been a debacle’ and should resign: Stephen Conroy | Sky News AustraliaFormer Labor Cabinet Minister Stephen Conroy says Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton “has been a debacle” and should do the decent thing and resign.\n\nThe Coate Inquiry held an extraordinary session at 2pm on Tuesday in which it discussed the secret emails from Brett Sutton which were omitted from evidence by the DHHS.\n\nThe two email chains were not submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services pertaining to the “chain of command” of hotel quarantine, and when Professor Sutton was made aware of private security.\n\nProfessor Sutton has been asked to submit an affidavit as the hotel quarantine inquiry seeks an explanation as to why the key emails weren't tendered during an extraordinary session on Tuesday.\n\nMr Conroy told Sky News, Professor Sutton should explain why he “didn’t bother to read the emails he’s CC’d on” and why he “didn’t bother to read” the information provided by his own team.\n\n“And when he’s finished writing that he should say one line at the bottom which writes, ‘and I now tender my resignation’,” he said.\n\n“This bloke has just been a debacle. You can see now why wiser heads did not put him in charge.\n\n“Remember when he was sulking about when he wasn’t put in charge of the whole quarantine operation?\n\n“Clearly people have worked with him for some time and realised he’s a dud.\n\n“He should do the decent thing, he’s misled the inquiry, and he should resign.”\n
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Daniel Andrews is trying to ‘parade himself as the saviour’ of Victoria | Sky News AustraliaDaniel Andrews continuing to do his daily press conferences is presumably an attempt to “parade himself as the saviour” of Victoria rather than the person responsible for the whole debacle, according to Chris Kenny.\n\n“I reckon he should take time off, go for a walk around Melbourne, see the empty shops, see the people rushing home from the park in their masks before they are fined, see the destruction, desolation and social decay that his response to the coronavirus has delivered,” Mr Kenny said.\n\n“But he keeps doing pressers. Presumably this is an attempt to forge his leadership image, make a martyr of himself and parade himself as the savior of the state, rather than the bloke who messed up the whole show”.\n\nMr Kenny said the daily press conferences – which have ticked over 105 consecutive days – “cultivate a sense of crisis” and are predicated on the idea Victorians need a daily update.\n\n“That is simply not the case,” he said.\n\n“This whole focus isolates the premier, and keeps him focussed on his own obsession.”\n
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Andrews: Working from home unlikely to change in Victoria before 2021 | Sky News AustraliaPremier Daniel Andrews says working from home will likely remain an entrenched feature of his coronavirus management plan until the beginning of next year.\n\n“Obviously, indoors is more risky than outdoors,’ the premier said, adding “this is not like a restaurant where you might be there for a couple of hours”.\n\n“People are there for a whole working day”.\n\n“You have shared spaces with much larger numbers of people; people in lifts, people in common areas and then, of course, there is the small matter of people getting to work”.\n\nThe premier also noted “public transport at 75 per cent, or 85 per cent, or 100 per cent of patronage presents some very significant challenges to us”.\n\n“It is best to plan I think for, if you can work from home you must work from home, being a feature of 2020.\n
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Andrews floats 'dark opening' for Victoria next week | Sky News AustraliaPremier Daniel Andrews has revealed Victoria may have a 'dark opening' from Sunday based on how case numbers are tracking heading into the weekend. \n\nMr Andrews alluded to bringing restriction-easing forward before the slated November 1 date – stating a dark opening would potentially allow retail businesses, restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs to open for a couple of days early next week. \n\n'We want to look at numbers as they unfold next week,' he said.\n\n'I'll stand here on Sunday and hopefully be able to confirm when it comes to retail, pubs, restaurants, cafes, bars, as well as a number of other settings that we can have what's been termed a 'dark opening' for the first one or two days next week.\n\n'And then we can be up and running from then. It's not appropriate for us to try and bring that forward, that is essentially based on trying to bring this forward from November 1.'\n\nMr Andrews confirmed restrictions would not be eased ahead of Saturday's AFL Grand Final, appealing to Victorians not to selfishly place their interests ahead of the Victorian community.
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