Who’s to blame? Hotel quarantine blame game ramps up

After 16 hours of estimates hearings, Victorians are no closer to understanding how hotel quarantine went so horribly wrong in the state.

The hearings are being conducted to bring clarity and understanding to why private security was used, but requests for police oversight were rejected.

Furthermore, the hearings are attempting to determine whether help from the Australian Defence Force was asked for or offered.

On day two of the enquiry, the only meaningful information to come to light is that State Emergency Commissioner Andrew Crisp chaired the meeting of the joint operational group on 27 March. 

The group took the decision to use private security, just as the national cabinet had made the decision to force returning citizens into 14-days quarantine.

The Victorian government had just 24 hours to act on this decision, with national cabinet’s mandate coming into effect at midnight the following night.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said measures implemented were a continuation of the existing arrangements in place for the local hotel isolation program. 

As to the question of ADF support, Mr Crisp has stated ADF support was not offered or requested. 

Mr Crisp is a 40-year veteran of policing and emergency management. He holds the Australian Police Medal, is highly respected and is a statutory officer, independent from government. However, while independent, Mr Crisp’s agency, Emergency Management Victoria, is part of the Justice portfolio which reports to the Police and Emergency Services Minister, Lisa Neville. Ms Neville and Mr Cripps appear before the committee in two weeks.

The call made to use private security, could be put down to the  24-hour rush to retain the hotels and to engage the security firms before arriving passengers were required to be quarantined in this way.

Who is to blame?

This is unclear.

Secretary of the Jobs department Simon Phemister, who was part of the decision-making group, made it clear his department’s role was in procurement only.

"We all put forward our views, deferred to the experts when it came to matters of security and ... matters of health protection and public health ... We didn't offer any advice into that meeting in areas we don't hold expertise, including security.

"I don't know what went into the decision-making process of the experts in the state control centre, save that those experts then commissioned my department to go forward and procure private security."

Following the meeting, Operation Soteria, run by Chris Eagle – by day a deputy chief fire officer and in this instance a deputy in the 24-hour-a-day state control centre – was put in place.

Mr Phemister claims he raised concerns with Mr Eagle over policing oversight.

Further to this, Health secretary Kim Peake said concerns were raised  because travellers were absconding.

A resolution came in the form of enabling security guards to deal directly with police.

Why police were not given a direct oversight is still unclear.

As for political oversight, the Jobs Minister Martin Pakula said, "Under the operational plan, the operational control and the responsibility for infection control and health matters lay with the Department of Health and Human Services.”

It seems nobody is yet to put their hands up to take responsibility.