Pressure is mounting on the Victorian government to come clean on why it hired security officers, instead of using police or the army, to lockdown quarantine hotels.
The Andrews government has so far shielded itself behind a judicial review to avoid answering tough questions about the debacle. The Coalition is pointing the finger at a cosy relationship between Victoria’s unions and its Jobs Minister Martin Pakula. “The National Union of Workers recently merged with United Voice who are the union that represents all the security guards,” state Liberal MP Tim Smith told Sky News.
“So it is somewhat ironic the jobs minister in charge of hotel quarantine gives it to security guards that are represented by what is now his union.” Federal Liberal MP Tim Wilson told Sky News “you have a state government who is more interested in making sure companies that hire their union mates took precedence over the health of Victorians.” More than 60 COVID-19 cases are linked to outbreaks amongst security guards from two Melbourne Hotels. Mr Pakula refused an interview with Sky News.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Secretive' Andrews government 'doesn't want to face the scrutiny' | Sky News AustraliaVictoria's Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier says Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is 'blaming everyone but himself and his incompetent ministers' following the latest outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the state. \n\nVictoria is going backwards and the public are 'really angry and frustrated' with what was announced in the state on Tuesday by the Premier,' Ms Crozier told Sky News host Peta Credlin. \n\nPremier Daniel Andrews has ordered everyone in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire back into stage three lockdowns, warning Victoria is on the “cusp of a second wave” of the killer coronavirus.\n\nMr Andrews said every resident in the city would be banned from leaving their home for at least six weeks as his state recorded another 191 cases.\n\nThe move is expected to impact five million people.\n\nMs Crozier said the Andrews government is 'incredibly secretive'. \n\n'They don’t want any scrutiny at all because they know they have stuffed this up monumentally'. \n\n'We are setting our state backwards so far, we are setting Australia back so far because of the failings of this government and no one is taking \n\nImage: News Corp Australia \n\n
Read more »
Daniel Andrews 'should lose his job for his incompetence' | Sky News AustraliaVictorian MP Tim Smith has called for Premier Daniel Andrews to lose his job for his 'incompetence' as the state's borders shut and Melbourne returns to stage three lockdown.\n\n'We're the only state in the country who has been put back under lockdown because Daniel Andrews completely failed to manage hotel quarantine,' he said.\n\n'He got bouncers in to do the job every other state got the ADF to do.\n\n'Now we're in a situation where businesses are being closed and the place has been turned into a ghost town.'\n\nMr Smith said he agreed with the Andrews government's response to the outbreak but pointed to Mr Andrews' failure to fine protesters as a catalyst to the surge in cases. \n\n'It is somewhat ironic the Jobs Minister for some reason was given control of hotel quarantine and gives it to private security guards that are represented by his union,' Mr Smith said.\n\nImage: News Corp Australia
Read more »
Daniel Andrews will get away with COVID-19 'catastrophe' | Sky News AustraliaThe Australian’s Greg Sheridan says throughout the coronavirus pandemic Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was the “most authoritarian premier imposing the most severe lockdown” while overseeing the most incompetent quarantine hotels.\n\nThe state has recorded 191 cases in the past 24 hours, forcing the Andrews government to lockdown five million people in the entire Melbourne metropolitan area and one regional shire.\n\nNine public houses have been placed into mandatory lockdown in North Melbourne and Flemington, with the towers being the source of over 65 cases.\n\n“The ABC of course doesn’t subject state politics to any scrutiny, so he just gets away without any consequence,” Mr Sheridan said.\n\nHe said the premier’s claim that people shopping could put others at risk of dying from the deadly disease, was never “translated to ‘if you demonstrate people will die’”.\n\n“This is a really catastrophic failure by the Andrews government”.\n\n“It’s a weakness in Australia’s political culture that state governments seem to be able to get away with this level of poor performance without suffering any real political consequences.”\n\nSky News host Peta Credlin said Victoria’s recent mishandlings “may well be the beginning of the end of Daniel Andrews”.\n\nImage: Getty
Read more »
Andrews govt 'put Labor interests ahead of the public health of Victorians' | Sky News AustraliaLiberal MP Tim Wilson says the Andrews government was more interested in fulfilling internal interests of the Labor Party than protecting the public health of Victorians. \n\n“You had a state government who was more interested in making sure that companies that hired their union mates took precedence over the public health of its citizens,” he said in reference to the bungled hotel quarantine operation. \n\nMr Wilson said the Victorian government and Premier Daniel Andrews were “all power and no accountability”, and told Sky News “this is why people are so angry, because they have done the right thing and the state government has not”. \n\n“Essentially he’s broken the contract between the people of Victoria and the state government,” he said. \n\n“Under the contract, it was up to every Victorian to make sure we didn’t see a spread of the virus, only to see that the group supposed to be responsible for enforcing the law and making sure there wasn’t a spread, was ultimately the key participant in spreading it. \n\n“That’s why people are so angry, because it does seem pretty clear to everybody that there’s a direct link between the internal interests of the Labor Party and the state government at the expense of the public health of Victoria.” \n\nImage: News Corp Australia
Read more »
'We are all Melburnians now': PM offers support as Melbourne prepares for lockdown | Sky News AustraliaPrime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Melburnians to 'tough it out' as the city prepares for a six week lockdown starting from midnight.\n\nPremier Daniel Andrews has confirmed 134 new coronavirus cases in Victoria in the past 24 hours, 75 of which are from public housing towers across Melbourne.\n\nUnder the state's new lockdown measures - set to come into full force at midnight tonight - the state will remain closed for up to six weeks before the government considers easing restrictions.\n\nSpeaking to reporters ahead of the lockdown, Mr Morrison said the nation is completely behind Melbourne.\n\n'We will keep doing our job and I know Australians will keep doing theirs,' he said.\n\n'And right now, that job is if you’re a Melburnian, is to tough it out and it will be tough, but know the rest of the country is with you.\n\n'The rest of the country knows that the sacrifice that you’re going through right now is not just for you and your own family, but it’s for the broader Australian community. And I want to thank Melburnians.'\n\nThe prime minister said at this stage, the government does not believe lockdowns should be implemented nationwide.\n\n
Read more »