Heads roll over bungle
Isolation hotel program overhauled amid virus outbreak
VICTORIA’S bungled hotel quarantine program will be completely overhauled, with senior government bureaucrats axed from the task force, after it was revealed security guards contributed to outbreaks in Melbourne suburbs.
Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kym Peake announced Operation Soteria would start on Monday.
But department insiders say senior bureaucrats previously involved had been left out of the new task force, including deputy secretary Melissa Skillbeck, who had been the head of the COVID-19 Emergency Accommodation and Enforcement Compliance functions.
Others have also returned to their normal roles or moved on.
It was revealed last month that security firms used by the quarantine hotels — hired by the Victorian government — had workers test positive after they broke social distancing rules, contributing to Victoria’s second wave of cases.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has come under increasing pressure in recent days over the bungled program, with the Victorian Opposition calling for her resignation.
Ms Mikakos yesterday said she “had no concerns about the actions of my department” and called the outbreaks “deeply frustrating”.
Opposition spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said bureaucrats “have been forced to take the fall for the Minister’s incompetence”.
A DHHS spokeswoman said: “To assist us continue to deliver these programs, the structures within the department will be refined.”
There was no mention of the overhaul, which will take effect on Monday, along with a newly created deputy secretary position to oversee the task force. The Victorian government has launched a judicial inquiry into the matter.
As coronavirus cases linked to the Stamford Plaza hotel outbreak continue to grow, management has pointed the finger at the Victorian government and private security contractors.
A statement issued by the group said security guards that spread the virus were “personnel hired by the Victorian government”.
“On or about 13 June, 2020, a security contractor, employed through the Victorian government contract, tested positive for the COVID-19 virus,” said the statement released on June 24.
“This security personnel was not under the employ of (Stamford Plaza Melbourne) or its related companies.”
Hotel staff were tested as a precaution, with no positive results.
The firms subcontracted by the government include MSS Security, Unified Security and Wilson, but the private security program will now be phased out.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the judicial inquiry would “get to the bottom of what has gone on here with absolute clarity”.