GREAT NEWS, FELLOW VICANONS - THIRD HEAD TO ROLL?
Hotel quarantine inquiry seeks explanation from Brett Sutton after emails contradict his evidence on use of private security firms
Victoria's COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry has asked Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton to provide another statement to the board after a series of emails contradicted his evidence.
In an extraordinary sitting this afternoon, counsel assisting Tony Neal QC told the chair of the probe that it had received a series of emails and was seeking more documents from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) which better indicated when Professor Sutton knew of the decision to use private security at the hotels.
Professor Sutton claimed in evidence at the inquiry that he was not aware of private security's involvement in the program until he read it in "media reports" in May.
But in a chain of emails tendered to the inquiry today, senior public health bureaucrat Braeden Hogan told Professor Sutton of private security's use on March 27.
"Private security has been contracted to provide security at the hotels with escalation agreements to vic pol (Victoria Police) as needed, " he wrote to Professor Sutton and several other senior health and government officials.
Professor Sutton responded: "Thanks so much Braeden."
Mr Neal said the emails were relevant as they pointed "to the time at which Professor Sutton had knowledge of private security in the hotel program," but stated he was not implying that the inquiry had been misled.
"[There is] no basis for inferring or speculating that any view has been formed about the veracity or otherwise," he said.
DHHS told the inquiry it did not offer up the documents earlier because it did not consider them relevant and was working to a tight timeframe.
The chair of the board of inquiry, Jennifer Coate, said the revelations could mean the reporting date of November 6 would need to be pushed back.
"Most unfortunately these new developments may unsettle the due date of the report, but I am unable to be clear about that at this stage," she said.
"If the report date is affected and needs to be extended I will advise the Premier and seek any necessary extension."
Department of Premier and Cabinet also asked to provide more information
Mr Neal said as well as Professor Sutton, many other people had been asked to provide more documents and affidavits on "two discreet developments" that had arisen after the inquiry's hearings closed.
Mr Neal said despite evidence provided in the inquiry that indicated Graham Ashton had not spoken to Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Chris Eccles, the two had in fact spoken at a key point in time.
"Mr Eccles's telephone records show, indeed, he telephoned Mr Ashton at 1:17pm on March 27 in a call that lasted 135 seconds," Mr Neal said.
"Having obtained this further information, the inquiry team requested certain parties to provide further answers on affidavit to questions directed to the issue of the decision to engage private security contractors in the hotel quarantine program and to provide further documents related to that issue."
Mr Eccles resigned after the inquiry sought his phone records last week.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-20/victoria-covid-19-hotel-quarantine-inquiry-extraordinary-hearing/12788900