Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he will hand over his phone records from the day the state's hotel quarantine scheme was announced, after a request from an inquiry into the failed scheme.
Key points:
- Mr Andrews said he would provide records of phone calls and text messages as soon as possible
- He said everyone was entitled to answers about who decided to use security guards
- He could not say if records had been requested from anyone else
At his daily press conference, Mr Andrews said he and his senior staff had been asked to provide additional information, including text messages and telephone records.
He had previously committed to providing the material if requested.
The announcement followed a grilling at Friday's press conference about whether the inquiry had sufficient powers to complete its work without having access to phone records from March 27, the day much of the program's structure was established.
In its final submission to the inquiry, Victoria Police said it had not been able to provide the full phone records of the former police chief commissioner Graham Ashton, due to federal communication laws.
A timeline provide by Victoria Police said Mr Ashton had been called between 1:16pm and 1:22pm on March 27 to advise private security would be used in the hotels.
But neither he or Chris Eccles, the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, were able to recall who made that phone call.
The submission from Victoria Police said Mr Ashton's billing records only included incoming calls from other Victoria Police executives but not any other incoming calls.
Too much time had passed and the data was no longer stored on the phone, the submission said.
'Everyone wants answers' on use of private security guards
Mr Andrews said he could not give a precise timeline of when the phone records would be handed over.
"It will be done as soon as possible," he said.
"Telstra and others have to provide us with those details but that will be provided."
Mr Andrews said "everyone wants answers".
"All of us are entitled to answers."
He said his media staff would also provide those records, but he could not say if the same request had been made of other key players involved in the decision-making process.
"If they have, the Board of Inquiry would be best-placed to answer any questions," he said.
When the Premier was asked at Saturday's press conference if had received a text from Mr Ashton in that six-minute period, Mr Andrews said "no".
When asked if he had sent a text to Mr Ashton, Mr Andrews gave the same answer.
"I don't speak to the chief commissioner very often at all and I certainly didn't speak to him then or about these matters," he said.
"It would seem to me Mr Ashton's understandings about what was and wasn't happening evolved throughout that entire afternoon.
"I've made statements. I have provided sworn evidence. I stand by that evidence."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEwLTExL3ZpY3Rvcmlhbi1wcmVtaWVyLXBob25lLXJlY29yZHMtaG90ZWwtcXVhcmFudGluZS1pbnF1aXJ5LzEyNzUyMjM40gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyNzUyMjM4?oc=5
2020-10-11 00:58:00Z
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