Recordings of key meetings on the bungled hotel quarantine scheme reveal Victoria's emergency management boss did not believe ADF troops were needed to support the program.
Recordings of key meetings on the bungled hotel quarantine scheme have revealed Victoria's emergency management boss did not believe Australian Defence Force troops were needed to support the program.Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp told the inquiry he believed a model of private security with police support on request would be the most effective
"Yes, there's some interesting media reporting around the role of the ADF — we greatly value the role of the ADF," he told the conference call. Under questioning at the inquiry today from counsel assisting Rachel Ellyard, Commissioner Crisp said planning and discussions had led him to believe a model of private security with police support on request would be the most effective.Commissioner Crisp also conceded that changes to the public service structure could be made as a result of the lessons learnt from the quarantine program.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has continually denied there was an explicit offer of ADF support from the Commonwealth to help run the state's hotel quarantine program.Premier told a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing that claims ADF personnel were offered was wrong"[It's] fundamentally incorrect to assert that there were hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow, someone said no," he said.
"I am sure the Commonwealth would be willing to assist Victoria if you wanted to reconsider your operating model."It was not until June 24 that the top Victorian public servant wrote to his federal counterpart that Victoria would need ADF support. The solicitor-general writes that the correspondence from the Prime Minister reaffirms claims from the Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, that support had been offered throughout the Victorian pandemic response.It stated: "The ADF will provide logistics support for the state and territory police as they enforce mandatory quarantine and isolation measures.
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