4th October 2021
The Community Advocacy Alliance Inc. (CAA) has consistently criticised the present Victorian Government for its inability to prevent its bureaucrats from acting corruptly. The ICook Foods fiasco is a classic and ongoing example.
Now we have Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) facing 58 charges brought by WorkSafe, alleging the DHHS endangered the lives of its workers, security guards and hotel quarantine guests (not the bureaucrats) when it failed to provide a safe workplace for its employees and failed to ensure people were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.
Departments are not the decision makers – it is bureaucrats within those departments who make the decisions. At the heart of these issues is that no one is held accountable. The Coate Inquiry was unable to determine just who made the critical but flawed decisions. A plethora of, “I can’t remember” responses from Ministers and officials was a plague of a different kind.
What is certain is that DHHS mistakes in hotel quarantine drove the state’s deadly second wave of COVID-19.
The effort to stop Covid 19 spreading was doomed from the moment already established protocols for dealing with disasters, including pandemics, were ignored by the Government and they set off on a frolic of their own proclaiming they knew best. They did not.
The Coate ‘snowflake inquiry’ into the failed system linked 768 deaths during the second wave back to the hotels.
WorkSafe alleges the DHH failed to appoint people with infection prevention and control expertise at the hotels, failed to provide security guards with appropriate infection control training and did not provide, at least initially, written instructions on how to use protective gear.
In all charges, the health and safety regulator said the DHHS employees, the government’s authorised officers and security guards were put at risk of contracting COVID-19 and serious illness or death.
The Coate Inquiry linked ninety-nine per cent’ of Victoria’s second wave cases to the hotel quarantine fiasco.
The maximum penalty for each of the charges is irrelevant as any fines imposed are returned to the State’s coffers.
The charges are listed to go before a Magistrates Court for a filing hearing on October 22. Of course, ultimately a plea of guilty would assure only a summary of the evidence would be given to the court again ensuring the guilty politicians and officials are protected.
Coate’s inquiry found poor infection prevention and control measures were the genesis of outbreaks that seeded in the community from the Rydges on Swanston and the Stamford Plaza.
The then Health Minister, Ms Mikakos, resigned a day after Premier Daniel Andrews’ evidence to the Inquiry, in which he accepted he was ultimately responsible for Government decisions.
The CAA now asks, if Premier Andrews was ultimately responsible, why has he not been charged by Work Safe? Why have other Ministers and Department Officials involved in these shambles not been charged? Those responsible for the decisions that led to this tragedy of hundreds of deaths and thousands of serious illnesses must be charged and held to account.
The failure of Work Safe to bring charges against the individuals involved cannot remain unchallenged.
Victorians deserve better than this. Since the 1980’s, we have had bodies such as the Deputy Ombudsman, Police Complaints, the OPI and now IBAC and all have been shown to be either incompetent or indifferent to corruption committed by governments. Not since the Ombudsman’s report into the window shutter scam, Operation Bart, in the late 80’s early 90s has any government official been held accountable for any improper conduct whilst in office. ICAC in NSW seems to have a handle on their role and they appear to take their responsibilities seriously. NSW has lost at least 2 premiers due to ICAC and a number of ministers who have served prison time for corruption but in victoria, labor’s idea of a leading corruption fighter has achieve no real scalps. Close to 800 people lost their lives due to the covid mishandling and not one individual is charged. I wonder if the outcome would be different if ICAC was the responsible investigative agency and if they would accept the number of officials claiming amnesia as our quasi judicial hearings clearing have or if ICAC would have charged these officials with perverting the course of justice. Sadly we will never know because Andrews only wants to give the appearance of justice being served and not justice being done.
Absolutely should be charged anyone else would have the book thrown at them. maybe this would help them get treatment for their memory loss.
The government need to held accountable to all the lives lost, families broken, mental health, loss of business, and the seperation in people.
In addition to the above submission, I would like to add that doctors are intimidated from prescribing well tested protocol cures to people infected with Covid19 – such as ivermectin, antibiotics, zinc and anti-inflamatory steroids. People have been left in quarantine with very little care. It only takes 3 ivermectin pills of 12mg to get infected people out of the danger zone and breathing properly again. The suppresion of optional therapies with little side effect is criminal. The Court should consider the deposition to the USA Parliament from doctors in America who saved thousands of infected people by using those protocols.
Danny should take a fair and just punishment. Hiding behind the tails of others, the evil one.
What will be the final outcome of this case, except that the various departments and individuals will cover each other’s ass and still no one will be held accountable and no action will be taken!
Am I disillusioned? Yes!
All those involved in this ongoing crime have blood on their hands and their days are numbered. The only question is “How much damage can they continue to inflict before they are held accountable?”
The Victorian government and it’s bureaucracy are responsible for running the state in a way that benefits the citizens of Victoria. There are many corrupt and incompetent public servants in our state bureaucracy and this includes politicians.These people have been charged with the responsibility of protecting Victorians. Instead they are responsible for a large number of deaths due to their handling of hotel quarantine. All those in the bureaucracy who have been involved in the running of hotel must face prosecution under the industrial manslaughter laws now in place. The families of the victims deserve nothing less.
Subject- Victorian Ombudsman must take over from WorkSafe and properly Investigate the 142 breaches by the Andrews Government over the Botched Hotel Quarantine Fiasco occasioning 801 Deaths presented by Self Employed Australia in September 2020.
Will you please as a matter of justice, email to complain about the inadequate outcome presented by WorkSafe Victoria who did not properly perform its duty in investigating professionally and accurately theSE breaches-
complaintcomplaints@ombudsman.vic.gov.au
or complete an online complaints form at – https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au
Breaches to be investigated were under the leadership of Premier Andrews, Ministers Pakula, Neville, and the Owner of Unified Security
the Victorian Ombudsman how poorly and inadequate WorkSafe failed to investigate all the 142 breaches adequately occasioning 801 deaths. Minister for Jobs Dept signed a contract for $30m to nonpreferred unqualified, Unified Security with no tender and signed 9th April 2020 by Simon Phemister. Sources have said such an amount of money had to be approved by Minister Martin Pakula and the Premier as the supplier was non-preferred without qualified resources at hand to service the project.
If ADF/Police or qualified security firm were contracted o at least allowed to tender, no deaths. The Ombudsman owes it to 801 grief-stricken families of the deceased to get to the bottom of this disgraceful outrage of loss of life amounting to manslaughter (Industrial)
Even WorkSafes Victorias own ad declares who is responsible- The buck stops with Daniel Andrews- Just watch https://vimeo.com/577475247?ref=em-share
The previous Health Minister must have made some enemies firstly Andrews throws her under the bus now WorkSafe Victoria reverses back over her and blames Health as the sole contributor to the preventable deaths. Or is this a scapegoat finding to cover-up? WorkSafe Victoria had the hide to write to Self Employed Victoria to say the case is closed- RUBBISH- shout out Victorians if you are as outraged as I am over the lies, delays, and cover-up of this Hotel Quarantine fiasco please help by letting the Ombudsman know in your strongest manner.
No government has the right to take away from the Australian people their livelihoods their freedoms destroy relationships and force experimental vaccines .. The Victorian government should be charged.
Lets face it. The Courts, bureaucracy, cops are all corrupt as hell. While they shield each other u & I get arrested for not wearing a mask. A pregnant woman in pyjama’s is arrested in her home for the crime of supporting a protest through her social media webpage. A 75 yr old granny is bashed to the ground by violent terrorist pig cops & then pepper sprayed! The list is endless. Hitler would be proud of DICKtator Andrews!
Justice for the families of these deaths must be paramount. However, we must remember that covid deaths are largely now shown to be only partially caused by covid, the actual extent of viral causation is largely conjectural. This then makes those manslaughters difficult to prove. Lawyers will have a field day, and much money will get passed under the table once again.
Widespread sweeping changes required to clean out the Victorian poison. It all starts at the top!
I admire the work done to date however with a corrupt court system as you’ve pointed out no one will ever be held accountable ….. more tax payers money flushed down the toilet to save their butts!!!!
This whole fiasco demands answers. Apart from the health issues the loss of livelihoods, businesses, mental health etc should all be added to the cost.
It is obscene that Government people can evade their own laws, claim they cant remember and have the temerity to Rule us rather than serve us. This ludicrous abuse of power HAS to stop now and Department heads Ministers and the corrupt Premier be jailed.
Departments don’t make decisions, people in charge of Departments make decisions and it is they that need to be accountable
One rule for the Andrews government and none for us.
Andrews has done things that anybody else would be charged and jailed.
Work safe can’t not leave this unchallenged they must do the right thing for those families that lost there loved ones.
Andrews government must pay for there role into so many deaths.
Enough is Enough for the Andrews government getting away with everything…
Why things like this should happen ?
Melbourne peope was seen most vulnerable due to have good weather where everyone stay inside house no in street engagement
We have only one answer to this
Take jab and go Jon and it’s all safe
My self keen to take 2
Of course the government are guilty the buck stops with them.
If all the politicians and others making these decisions we required to take a 10 percent pay cut, we would be out of lockdown tomorrow.
We are not all in this together