DICTATOR DAN'S MEMORY HOLE: OFFICIALS NOW "FORGET" WHO GAVE THE ORDER Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun
September 18, 2020 11:23am
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Bizarre. Top officials and police say they now forget who gave the disastrous order to put amateur security guards in charge of Victoria's quarantine hotels, rather than police or the Australian Defence Force.
Some even now forget why they once named those responsible for the order that led to the virus escaping through infected guards and killing more than 700 people.
What on earth is going on with the memories of Dictator Dan's apparatchiks? Check this list. POLICE COMMISSIONER SHANE PATTON Diary notes made by Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton seem to directly contradict comments to Parliament by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews that the Australian Defence Force was not offered as part of the state's hotel quarantine system.
One note in Mr Patton's diary in the crucial days leading up to the quarantine program starting on March 29 says: "ADF available re hotels static guarding of those sites".
Mr Patton said he can't remember the actual conversation that led to the note. PATTON AGAIN On Thursday, the inquiry was shown notes taken by current Chief Commissioner Shane Patton of a briefing he received from Mr Ashton on March 27 concerning the arrival of travellers. “ADF available re static guarding of sites,” he wrote at 7pm.
In his statement, Mr Patton said the diary note was made after a 39-minute conference call with senior police including Mr Ashton and Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent.
“I do not recall any reference being made to the role to be played by Victoria Police or private security companies,” Mr Patton said. “I do not recall the conversation that led to my note ‘ADF available re static guarding of sites’.” PATTON AGAIN He said he did not know who made the decision to engage private security guards and was also not aware of any police resistance to the involvement of the ADF. FORMER CHIEF COMMISSIONER GRAHAM ASHTON Graham Ashton has revealed in bombshell text messages private security would guard quarantine hotels as part of a “deal set up’’ by Daniel Andrews’ department.
Mr Ashton messaged Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw on March 27 — days before the quarantine program began — saying “private security will be used’’ and “I think that’s the deal set up by our DPC’’.
But in evidence to the hotel quarantine inquiry, he could not remember who had told him the Department of Premier and Cabinet had arranged such a deal.
“I don’t remember where I got that or who I got that from,” he said. ON THE OTHER HAND... Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp.... recovered text messages on Tuesday in which he said he was told by then-police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton that private security guards should be the first option for quarantine hotels, not police.
He said he took a call from Mr Ashton during the March 27 meeting and stepped out of the room.
He sent a text message soon after to Assistant Commissioner Michael Grainger, who was in the room representing Victoria Police.
The text message, shown to the inquiry, reads: "I stepped out to speak to Graham and I let him know you're in this meeting as he's only just come out of VSB [Victorian Secretaries Board]. He made it clear in VSB that private security is the first security option at hotels/motels and not police."
The Victorian Secretaries Board, which includes the secretaries of each state department and the police chief, is chaired by the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
In another recording of the meeting, Mr Crisp said he understood it was Mr Ashton's preference that "private security be the first line of security".
"It's Mick Grainger here. Absolutely that's our preference," Mr Grainger added. GRAHAM ASHTON AGAIN The former commissioner, Graham Ashton, was asked by the inquiry on Friday about two 27 March meetings where it’s alleged he stated a preference for private guards.
“Absolutely untrue,” Ashton replied, under questioning from Richard Attiwill QC, acting for the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
In his written submission, Ashton said he asked Crisp on 27 March whether Victoria police would be used to guard the hotels, to which he recalls Crisp responding “no”.
But Attiwill challenged Ashton’s memory of the meeting, pointing out that in his oral evidence, Ashton said he asked whether private security would be used.
Ashton denied that assertion, stating that Crisp raised the potential use of private security guards in that meeting before he did. AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER RICK NUGENT: In an email from Mr Nugent to Assistant Commissioner Michael Grainger and Mr Patton, he said Mr Ashton had advised him that private security would be used at the hotel quarantine program, which was discussed in a meeting between department secretaries.
“DPC (Department of Premier and Cabinet) also rang me about this issue late last night and confirmed that was the arrangement discussed at VSB,” he said in the March 28 email.
“I did suggest, if increased risks/issues identified, ADF could have a role in this regard.”
In reference to the email, Mr Patton said in his statement that Mr Nugent subsequently told him: “He is now not sure of the identity of the person who called him, or whether that person was, in fact, from the DPC or another government department.” PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS Emails shown to an inquiry on Tuesday revealed the prime minister's office repeatedly offered troops to man the bungled program which sparked Victoria's deadly second wave of coronavirus.
The evidence appeared to contradict Mr Andrews' claim in August that: 'It is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there were hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow, someone said no.'...
But on Wednesday, Mr Andrews stood by that statement ... The premier refused to go into detail, telling a journalist: 'All can I can say is the statements I've made are accurate... it's not appropriate for me to run debates back and forth. ..
When the coronavirus quarantine policy was announced on 27 March, New South Wales accepted 360 troops and Queensland took 100 but Victoria refused any help, an inquiry heard on Tuesday.
On April 8, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Philip Gaetjens emailed his Victorian counterpart Chris Eccles to again offer ADF assistance.
Referencing how the ADF helped with security in NSW, Mr Gaetjens wrote: 'I am sure the Commonwealth would be willing to assist Victoria in a similar way if you wanted to reconsider your operating model'. HEALTH MINISTER JENNY MIKAKOS Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos was also quizzed in State Parliament on Wednesday about whether she was aware of the offer by Canberra to deploy the army in quarantine hotels.
“I was not aware of any offers of Australian Defence Force support when hotel quarantine was established," she said. "I’ve not been involved in approving the structures or the operational plan of this program." EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT VICTORIA COMMISSIONER ANDREW CRISP Mr Crisp said ADF representatives were present at hotel quarantine planning meetings on March 27 but he did not recall if troops were offered.
“I don’t recall any direct offer made in relation to hotel quarantine,” he said...
Lieutenant-General John Frewen last week said 100 troops were put on standby to help Victoria after Prime Minister Scott Morrisson offered all state and territories with ADF support in quarantine efforts.
‘‘In the PM’s offer, the ADF, it was made plain, would be available to all of the states and territories to help with whatever arrangements were put in place for quarantine and quarantine enforcement,” he said. CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER BRETT SUTTON Professor Sutton gave evidence he was not involved in the decision to hire private security contractors to supervise hotel quarantine and did not find out about it “until after the outbreaks”. It was only in hindsight that he realised how dangerous it was for the state to use a highly casualised workforce with poor job security to fulfil the crucial role of guarding thousands of returned travellers from overseas.
What utter incompetence. No one in charge. No one taking responsibility. No one making the right call. No one remembering - or no one that we can be sure about.
