Outrage as pilots and flight attendants are hired to patrol Victoria’s hotel quarantine debacle as state battles a second wave of coronavirus
- Victoria’s justice department has been tasked with guarding quarantine hotels
- Qantas has reportedly advised out of work staff about the job vacancies
- Hotel program was suspended after being ‘central’ to rise in COVID cases
Stood-down Qantas staff will be recruited to Victoria’s botched hotel quarantine regime.
Corrections Victoria has taken over the management of hotel quarantine for returned travellers after private security guards breached protocols, contributing to the state’s latest coronavirus outbreak.
The decision, announced by Daniel Andrews in a press conference on Monday was met by criticism.
Stood-down Qantas staff will be recruited to Victoria’s botched hotel quarantine regime (stock picture)
Brian Wilson, a pilot from Airline Insider, told 3AW Breakfast using flight staff was a risky decision.
‘They’re not trained in infection control, and they’re not trained in mental health,’ he said.
‘The key thing is really “What’s the training?”, what’s the procedures and what’s the competency testing into making sure the right people are there.
‘The danger here is putting people in where they don’t have the authority to be able to provide the sort of control that is needed in these sort of situations.’
Successful candidates would have to work six 12-hour shifts over a 24/7 roster fortnight, according to the department’s job advertisement.
Support workers will be required to ensure social distancing measures and good hygiene practises are being adhered to at all times.
‘The Corrections Commissioner and Corrections Victoria who have control from a management, supervision and overall chain of command … over our hotel quarantine is very pleased that we have sought to engage a number of cabin crew who are currently stood down from Qantas,’ Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Monday.
Victoria’s hotel quarantine program was put on hold after it was discovered it was central to the rise of the state’s COVID-19 case numbers (Stamford Hotel in Melbourne pictured)
‘Let’s be clear: There are very few groups of people who take safety more seriously and know and understand safety protocols and dynamic environments and the need to always go by the book than those who work in our aviation sector.’
Any stood-down cabin crew hired will be employees of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, they will not be sub-contractors, Mr Andrews said.
They will be directly accountable and under the direct supervision and management of Corrections Victoria.
‘We need people who are resilient, respectful and accountable and have the communication skills needed to support the hotel quarantine arrangements,’ the job advertisement read.
The Victorian Government came under fire over the program after it was hit with infection protocol breaches while hosting returned travellers.
Controversy still surrounds the use of private security to guard the quarantine hotels.
Instead of preventing the spread of the virus, the program was found to be central to the rise of the state’s COVID-19 case numbers.
As a result the Department of Justice and Community Safety is now tasked with guarding the quarantine hotels in place of private security companies.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas and The Department of Justice and Community Safety for further comment.
The Victorian Government came under fire over the program after it was hit with infection protocol breaches and resulted in a number of new COVID-19 cases (Stamford Hotel in Melbourne pictured)