EXCLUSIVE: Prime Minister’s letters pressured Daniel Andrews to take 1000 ADF troops

Prime Minister Scott Morrison pressured Daniel Andrews to accept 1000 Australian Defence Force troops to Victoria in July to help the state fight the deadly second wave of COVID-19, according to a series of letters released through Freedom of Information laws.

The letters, obtained by Sky News Australia, were sent from Mr Morrison directly to the Victorian Premier and detail the pressure the Prime Minister placed on Mr Andrews to accept Defence Force help.

In one letter, sent on July 11, Mr Morrison suggested a combined operation between Victoria Police and the ADF which would include “an estimated 1,000 ADF” which “could be progressively deployed in this way over the next week, with greater scope beyond”.

“It is critical to the containment of the virus that the now thousands of people in isolation and quarantine are carefully tracked by phone and personal visits to ensure compliance (and to ensure their welfare),” Mr Morrison wrote.

In an earlier letter, on the 4th of July, before Melbourne went into full stage 3 lockdown, Mr Morrison wrote: “I note with concern that the Victorian COVID-19 case numbers have escalated to 108 cases today, as part of an increased trend of cases during the past week.”

“This has necessitated a further two postcodes being listed as hotspots and new hard lockdowns of nine residential public housing buildings in North Melbourne.

“I recognise the new measures and support the significant efforts underway. The Commonwealth stands ready to provide any support needed on top of the existing measures in place, including Australian Defence Force support to support planning and logistics, and Commonwealth staff to support clinical efforts, community engagement and contact tracing.

“As we have seen with the previous outbreaks in North West Tasmania and Sydney, these types of outbreaks can quickly overwhelm local health systems. I reaffirm the offer of Commonwealth for on-the-ground support and help in co-ordinating support from other states while acknowledging Victoria’s leadership.

“I also note that the Commonwealth stands ready to support Victoria through the Australian Defence Force to assist with the lockdown of affected suburbs and to assist to ensure persons from these areas do not travel outside these zones and to other states.

“It is concerning that there have been a number of cases where such travellers have been identified entering NSW in particular.

“We appreciate that this is a national challenge, not just a Victorian one and as a country we are here to provide support as required.”

On July 11, Mr Morrison wrote, “The remainder of the ADF personnel you requested in your letter of 7 July 2020 remain available to be deployed in Victoria once Victorian officials have finalised their planning and preparation activities. Given the escalating COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria, I recommend that you again consider further ADF deployment to Melbourne over the coming days to assist in the enforcement of public health compliance."

“A model successfully used in previous deployments in other jurisdictions, involves an ADF member paired with a police officer in a team of two. This allows the legal enforcement powers to be exercised by state and territory police, supported by ADF members. It will allow a significant expansion of compliance and welfare activity.

“The VicPol/ADF team model could also quickly be deployed to expand the ability to support containment rings around Metropolitan Melbourne/Hume Shire. An estimated 1,000 ADF could be progressively deployed in this way over the next week, with greater scope beyond.

“I am also mindful of the positive and reassuring impact that the presence of the ADF can have on communities in times of difficulties as has already been demonstrated during the COVID-19 situation and during the Black Summer bushfires.

On June 26, the Prime Minister revealed in a press conference that a request for 850 ADF officers made by the Victorians in the wake of the second Victorian outbreak had been rescinded. The Commonwealth submission to the Victorian government’s hotel quarantine inquiry tabled this month said that on June 24 Victoria’s emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp sent an email to Emergency Management Australia and the ADF attaching three requests for assistance, one of which sought up to 850 ADF personnel.

The next day, June 25, Mr Crisp sent an email withdrawing the request “based on changing operational and resourcing requirements”.

The inquiry found that the Prime Minister then wrote to the Premier Andrews on three separate occasions – July 4, July 6 and July 11 and Mr Andrews responded on July 5th, 7th, 12th and 14th.

This correspondence came after April 8 correspondence between the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Phil Gaetjens to Victorian head of the department of premier and cabinet Chris Eccles offering ADF support to help with quarantine.

Видео EXCLUSIVE: Prime Minister’s letters pressured Daniel Andrews to take 1000 ADF troops канала Sky News Australia