Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has played down suggestions the hotel quarantine inquiry does not have sufficient powers to complete its work, after being questioned on phone records that could answer key outstanding questions.
Key points:
- Political adviser-turned-commentator Peta Credlin pressed the Premier on the hotel quarantine inquiry's powers
- Victoria Police says it can't provide the inquiry with the full phone records of its former chief commissioner due to federal laws
- Mr Andrews says all material sought by the inquiry had been handed up
The Premier and political commentator Peta Credlin, a former adviser to Tony Abbott, sparred during Mr Andrews's daily press conference over whether the inquiry could do its job without complete phone records from March 27.
On that day, much of the hotel quarantine program's structure was established.
In its submission to the inquiry published today, Victoria Police said it had not been able to provide the full phone records of Graham Ashton, who was chief commissioner at the time, due to federal telecommunications laws.
In a timeline, Victoria Police asserted Mr Ashton was called and advised that security would be used to guard guests in hotel quarantine between 1:16pm and 1:22pm on March 27.
In their evidence, both Mr Ashton and Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Chris Eccles were unable to recall who made a phone call to Mr Ashton at the time.
Victoria Police's submission stated that Mr Ashton's mobile billing records only included incoming calls from other Victoria Police executives and did not give access to records of any other incoming calls.
"Victoria Police did contact Telstra and request incoming call data for the former Chief Commissioner's phone but they advised correctly that under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 they are unable to provide that data unless it relates to a criminal investigation or missing person investigation," Victoria Police said in a statement.
It said the incoming and outgoing call information could not be collected directly from the phone because too much time had passed and the data was no longer stored on the phone.
Premier suggests he would provide phone records if requested
Mr Andrews said if the chair of the board of inquiry, Jennifer Coate, believes greater access to phone records were needed, he believes she would have sought it.
"If former judge Coate was of the view that she needed further powers then she would ask for that," he said.
Asked why the phone records of the Premier, ministers and senior bureaucrats had also not been provided, Mr Andrews said that was because they had not been sought.
"I wouldn't want anyone listening or watching at home to think that there was some material that was not handed up. It was not sought," he said.
"All material that was sought was handed up."
When asked if he and senior staff would volunteer their phone records to the inquiry "for the avoidance of doubt", Mr Andrews said he would leave it to the inquiry.
"Again, with the greatest of respect, I don't agree with the notion that somehow you and your network have the ability to put something to me and make a request of me but the board of inquiry doesn't," he said.
"[The chair of the inquiry has] not even asked, which is a point that I think seems to be missing here.
"Having looked at nearly 300,000 pages, having heard from witnesses from far and wide, I am confident that if they believe there is a deficiency or an incompleteness in terms of the picture that they are working with, it is within their power to raise those matters."
The COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry has been contacted for comment.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEwLTA5L3BldGEtY3JlZGxpbi1kYW5pZWwtYW5kcmV3cy1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1ob3RlbC1xdWFyYW50aW5lLzEyNzQ3OTI00gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyNzQ3OTI0?oc=5
2020-10-09 04:03:00Z
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