Hotel quarantine ‘catastrophe’ must not be swept under the carpet

Sky News host Peta Credlin says she is absolutely determined not to let the hotel quarantine “catastrophe” be swept under the carpet as further damning details emerge.

“While everyone was digesting Tuesday's budget, a letter was released retracting the earlier testimony of one of the key officials managing this crisis,” Ms Credlin said.

Weeks before Justice Coate’s inquiry into hotel quarantine, there was another set up by the Victorian Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, which featured key players including ministers and senior bureaucrats.

On August 26 Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp told the inquiry he was “regularly briefing my minister,” referring to Police Minister Lisa Neville.

Mr Crisp repeated this on three separate occasions, while Ms Neville – who was too party of the hearing – did not once contradict the statement.

The police minister said in a statement to Justice Coate though “apart from that (2pm) meeting, I did not … receive any briefings or have any discussions between 27 and 28 March 2020 during which the proposed structure or lines of accountability for the Hotel Quarantine Program were discussed”.

Mr Crisp - on Tuesday - retracted his previous statement declaring he had briefed Ms Neville.

“I did not brief the Minister for Police and Emergency Services throughout the 27 and 28 March 2020 with regard to what was being planned,” the statement read.

Section 32 of the Emergency Management Act 2013 says the commissioner must "ensure the minister is provided with timely and up to date information in relation to … the response to major emergencies"

“So, in changing his earlier testimony which conforms with the minister's later testimony, the Commissioner seems to have put himself at odds, with his own duty, under this Act,” Ms Credlin said.

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