Dan Andrews’ Department of Health is CHARGED with 58 offences over bungled hotel quarantine

BREAKING NEWS: Dan Andrews’ Department of Health is CHARGED with 58 offences over bungled hotel quarantine system which led to Victoria’s lockdown

• Victoria Department of Health charged with 58 offences over hotel quarantine
• SafeWork alleged they breached OHS laws surrounding the bungled system
• 17 alleged breaches of failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment
• 41 alleged breaches for failing to ensure guests and others weren’t exposed
• Each breach would see fines of $1.64million each with total of $95.12million
• Bungled system led to Victoria’s mammoth 112-day lockdown last year 

By Sam McPhee For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 04:17 BST, 29 September 2021 | Updated: 04:54 BST, 29 September 2021

Dan Andrews’ Department of Health has been charged with 58 offences over the bungled hotel quarantine system that led to the state’s 112-day lockdown last year.

In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, WorkSafe alleged the department breached occupational health and safety laws.   

Each of the breaches would amount to payments of $1.64million, with the department facing a $95.12million fine if found guilty by a tribunal.  

‘The Department of Health, formerly the Department of Health and Human Services, has been charged with 17 breaches of Section 21(1) of the OHS Act, in that it failed to provide and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a working environment that was safe and without risks to health for its employees,’ the company said in a statement.

‘The department has been charged with a further 41 breaches of section 23 (1) of the OHS Act, in that it failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons other than employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety arising from conduct of its undertaking.

‘Between March and July 2020, the Department of Health was responsible for the oversight and co-ordination of Operation Soteria, Victoria’s first hotel quarantine program.’ 

Dan Andrews’ Department of Health has been charged with 58 offences over the bungled hotel quarantine system that led to the state’s 112-day lockdown last year

Failures of Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system last year saw the state plunged into a 112-day lockdown that saw thousands of cases and dozens of deaths

WorkSafe alleges that authorised employees and security guards were put at risk of serious illness or death through contracting coronavirus from returning Australians, through either working in the hotels or contiminated surfaces.

There are 17 alleged breaches of failing to provide and maintain a working environment that was safe and without risks to health for its employees.

There are also 41 alleged breaches for failing to ensure guests and others who were not employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety arising from its conduct of its undertaking.

The investigation has taken 15 months to complete and has reviewed tens of thousands of documents and recorded multiple witness interviews from staff. 

It found that security weren’t provided with proper training when it comes to infection control and only provided written instruction for the use of PPE. 

‘A review of the material from last year’s COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry provided relevant context and information that informed parts of the investigation,’ the Health Department’s statement said.

‘The decision to prosecute has been made in accordance with WorkSafe’s General Prosecution Guidelines, which require WorkSafe to consider whether there is sufficient evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction and whether bringing a prosecution is in the public interest.’

WorkSafe alleges that authorised employees and security guards were put at risk of serious illness or death through contracting coronavirus from returning Australians through either working in the hotels or contiminated surfaces

The investigations included examinations of the hotels and security companies that were used by Dan Andrews’ government as part of the hotel quarantine system. 

They also spoke to other government departments and agencies as part of the investigation. 

The matter will have a hearing at the Magistrate’s Court on Octobber 22, with WorkSafe saying they will make no further comment. 

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