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Victoria’s health director Brett Sutton insists he was unaware that private security was being used in quarantine hotels in Melbourne until May, even though he responded to a email about arrangements more than a month earlier
Professor Sutton said he « hadn’t recorded anything » about the use of private security when he responded to the email, which had been sent by a colleague in the department to the Ministry of Interior
The Age newspaper ran a chain of emails from March 27 – the day the hotel quarantine arrangements were made – in which Professor Sutton was asked about a series of questions about the Victoria program, including « what safeguards are in place to ensure compliance »
Professor Sutton forwarded the email to a colleague, who answered the original questions on the issue of security arrangements, they wrote:
« Instructions will be provided to passengers upon disembarkation (sic) and will be handled by Victoria Police at the airport Private security is contracted to provide security at hotels with escalation arrangements at VicPol as needed «
He later told the COVID-19 hotel quarantine investigation that he was unaware private security was in place to keep returning travelers until the end of May after an outbreak at the Rydges on Swanston hotel
Asked about the email at a press conference on Saturday, Professor Sutton said: « This particular email was in response to the Commonwealth where they had asked questions, and it was forwarded to a person in the hotel quarantine command structure program
« I saw they were responding to the Commonwealth and I thanked them for the answers given to them, but I clearly did not indicate that anything was said about private security
Asked about this, Professor Sutton said that a team from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was tasked with finding and submitting the relevant emails the survey sought.
Professor Sutton said he made all of his emails, archived or not, available to the team
« I know they have gone through a process of reviewing all emails that match the terms of reference of the request that was made as a result of the investigation and that they all provided these «
« I don’t know what the terms of reference are My role is not to determine what is or is not going [to the investigation] »
Professor Sutton said his officials would provide « whatever is requested in the investigation » and that he would be willing to reappear if asked
The hotel’s investigation said on Friday that it would hold a « special meeting » next week, but did not provide further details
“I don’t know what they’re going to do,” Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said Saturday “It’s an independent process, and it should be independent It’s not a matter of engaging with me «
The inquiry’s announcement followed the inquiry’s receipt of additional information, including telephone records from some of the key players, including Prime Minister Daniel Andrews and senior officials
In his testimony to the inquest in September, Professor Sutton said he could see the use of a highly precarious workforce of security guards to be an issue
« And they should have the confidence of all Victorians, because they work very hard for all Victorians »
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Brett Sutton
World News – AU – Brett Sutton responds to leaked email that shows he’s been looped over the quarantine details of the hotel
