Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has finally, irrevocably, irretrievably, confirmed what most of us have known for a long time – his government is a farce.
The Nationals leader Peter Walsh said Daniel Andrews, the man who demanded – and got – emergency powers allowing him to govern any way he likes, without being answerable to anyone, including Parliament, this afternoon faced the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry and 27 times told the hearing he “could not recall”.
“The Premier has delivered an absolute insult to all those who are now grieving loved ones as a direct result of this Labor Government’s failures.
“Daniel Andrews’ disastrous mismanagement of hotel quarantine killed more than 700 Victorians and has ripped the soul out of small businesses and communities.
“Daniel Andrews today proved he is unworthy of office. Andrews and his COVID Eight must resign.”
Mr Walsh said the Andrews Labor government spent the better part of 100 million taxpayer dollars botching its hotel quarantine program that caused our crippling second wave of COVID-19 – yet not one Minister, department official or the Premier himself can say who was responsible for managing it.
He said while other states have successfully got the virus under control, Victoria remains the nation’s pariah state because of the bad decisions made by the Andrews Labor Government.
“This farcical, botched handling of its shambolic hotel quarantine program is just one of many reasons Victorians have lost confidence in Daniel Andrews and his Labor Government,” Mr Walsh added.
“Victorians deserved the truth today, but instead we got more lies and more cover-ups from arrogant Andrews,” he said.
“The amnesia virus, which has swept through the ranks of Victoria’s most senior elected officials, leaves us with just one conclusion – the millions and millions of your dollars, spent to drive our state into crisis mode and an unparalleled lockdown with curfews, protests and massive fines; and had police trampling on free speech – was not authorised by anyone in the Andrews Labor government.
“So, who had the power; and approval, to spend such a vast sum of money to create such a shambles it has left Victoria a national pariah, locked out for months from the rest of the country?” he said.
“For Mr Andrews to stand there on television, watched by all Victoria – and probably much of Australia – and blithely deflect the direct question from Counsel assisting the inquiry, Rachel Ellyard, if he had made the decision, or did he know who did, to staff the most crucial part of the state’s COVID-19 defence was an insult to all those who have died, and their families, as a result of that fateful and flawed strategy.”
