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| Coronavirus live updates Australia: Daniel Andrews holds Covid press conference as Victoria records 12 new cases and two deaths | Coronavirus live updates Australia: Daniel Andrews holds Covid press conference as Victoria records 12 new cases and two deaths |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Jenny Mikakos will give evidence in the hotel inquiry, while SA reopens border to NSW. Follow live | Jenny Mikakos will give evidence in the hotel inquiry, while SA reopens border to NSW. Follow live |
| Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos is now the third government minister to say they had no role in the recruitment of private security firms for hotel quarantine.Mikakos told the hotel quarantine inquiry on Thursday that despite her department being the control agency for the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, she was not involved in any of the decision making around use of private security for the hotels for returned travellers in March, and she did not know who made the decision. | |
| Mikakos said “with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been desirable” if she had been consulted, but said she did not become aware of the use of private security in the hotels until the outbreak of Covid-19 cases at the Rydges on Swanston in late May. | |
| Mikakos said she had no reason to turn her mind to the use of security guards until the outbreak, and defended not having knowledge of it because she said it was a “multi-agency response” with shared accountability and shared responsibilities. | |
| Q: At the beginning of the second lockdown the estimates was 250,000 Victorians would lose their jobs, have – are you aware of whether that was more or less or whether that was correct? | |
| Daniel Andrews: | |
| Is Daniel Andrews concerned about what the drop in the jobkeeper rate will mean for Victoria, given Melbourne is still under restrictions? | |
| Q: Crime statistics show a 6.7% rise in family violence ... In the year to July which is the highest on record with 88,000 crimes. Applicants warn that this would happen and fear that the curfew might exacerbate family violence incidents, what is your response to this and why is the curfew still in place? | |
| Daniel Andrews: | |
| Q: The number of active cases in health workers has increased by 10 since yesterday. I think we have gone from 73-83. How concerned with you about that and how much of a problem are those stubborn numbers in health and aged care where the restrictions aren’t necessarily being to have any impact on them but they will have an impact on our ability to reopen? | |
| Daniel Andrews: | |
| Q: Annastacia Palaszczuk has written to the prime minister about ADF being taken away from border control. Within it she says, “I understand this is inconsistent with the approach taken with other jurisdictions including New South Wales and Victoria” were you aware that Annastacia Palaszczuk was writing to the prime minister? | |
| Daniel Andrews: | |
| Q: Do you agree with her stance on border controls to use ADF? | |
| Andrews: | |
| Q: Just to confirm you are completely satisfied with the use of the ADF you have had in Victoria and you don’t think you should have gone further at any stage? | |
| Andrews: | |
| Q: You’ve received offers as well obviously? | |
| Andrews: | |
| Q: Do your experts have any idea what particular part of these stage 4 restrictions are having the best effect and which ones don’t have to same effectiveness? | |
| Daniel Andrews: | |
| Q: Once the decision has been made on Saturday night when are the changes expected to come into effect? | |
| Andrews: | |
| Q: Does that mean it won’t necessarily be a change come Monday? | |
| Andrews: | |
| On to the possible announcements on Sunday. | |
| Q: With Sundays slight relaxation, are you looking at more personal freedoms or just on businesses, are you having briefings with some business because they might be affected by these? | |
| Daniel Andrews: | |
| Q: You, yourself, have been a health minister, would you have applied the same arm’s length approach that Ms Mikakos has apparently taken in this pandemic? | |
| Daniel Andrews: | |
| The questions move on to the offers of ADF support, following the release of letters from the prime minister’s office. | |
| Daniel Andrews says he stands by his previous statements. | |
| Q: More specifically, in June 2012, support was requested and the next day was reduced to a couple of hundred. A week later, the Prime Minister started a series of letters offering more support which ones would assume you’re reluctant to take, considering the fact he kept offering this. | |
| Andrews: | |
| Q: So far the inquiry has not had an answer to that question [who was responsible for hotel quarantine] and do you expect that question to be answered tomorrow? | Q: So far the inquiry has not had an answer to that question [who was responsible for hotel quarantine] and do you expect that question to be answered tomorrow? |
| Daniel Andrews: | Daniel Andrews: |
| Q: Can you at least tell us whether or not you can answer us, do you have that information? | Q: Can you at least tell us whether or not you can answer us, do you have that information? |
| Andrews: | Andrews: |
| Q: Has there been any evidence presented so far that has come as a surprise to you? | Q: Has there been any evidence presented so far that has come as a surprise to you? |
| Daniel Andrews: | Daniel Andrews: |
| Q: Are you concerned that the union that represents vows of healthcare workers, everyone who works there, nature, some of them workers you have shown support for every day during the pandemic, is calling for the Health Minister to resign? | Q: Are you concerned that the union that represents vows of healthcare workers, everyone who works there, nature, some of them workers you have shown support for every day during the pandemic, is calling for the Health Minister to resign? |
| Daniel Andrews: | Daniel Andrews: |
| Q: How much value do you place on the health workers union saying that they have lost confidence in the minister? | Q: How much value do you place on the health workers union saying that they have lost confidence in the minister? |
| Daniel Andrews: | Daniel Andrews: |
| Q: Do you have confidence in the Health Minister’s ability to continue in a portfolio? | Q: Do you have confidence in the Health Minister’s ability to continue in a portfolio? |
| Andrews: | Andrews: |
| Q: Are you concerned at all that appears like two ministers have no idea about where the critical decisions are being made in the department? | Q: Are you concerned at all that appears like two ministers have no idea about where the critical decisions are being made in the department? |
| Daniel Andrews: | Daniel Andrews: |
| Q: What does ministerial responsibility mean to you and are you confident that your ministers are taking proper possibility for their portfolios? | Q: What does ministerial responsibility mean to you and are you confident that your ministers are taking proper possibility for their portfolios? |
| Andrews: | Andrews: |
| The questions begin: | The questions begin: |
| Q: Does your health minister lack [things like] basic competence and understanding of her portfolio? | Q: Does your health minister lack [things like] basic competence and understanding of her portfolio? |
| Daniel Andrews: | Daniel Andrews: |