Victoria's former health minister has accused Premier Daniel Andrews of "political deflection" as he refuses to resign over the state's botched hotel quarantine program.
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Jenny Mikakos hit out at her old boss on Monday night, hours after the release of the final report into the scandal that ultimately led to her resignation.
She said the $5.7 million inquiry had "failed to answer key questions", with retired judge Jennifer Coate unable to identify a single person responsible for the fatal decision to use private security guards in the program.
"I believe Victorians deserve to know the truth about an event that has so profoundly impacted them," Ms Mikakos said in a statement.
"They do not need another masterclass in political deflection from the premier."
She's called on the inquiry to release Mr Andrews' redacted phone records from March 27, the day before the hotel quarantine program began, for the sake of public transparency.
Ms Mikakos, DHHS secretary Kym Peake and Department and Premier and Cabinet secretary Chris Eccles have already quit over the scandal.
If they hadn't already done so, Mr Andrews said he would have requested and accepted the resignations of Ms Mikakos and Ms Peake.
Despite the report effectively clearing Mr Andrews, Ms Mikakos and other senior ministers of making the decision to hire guards, Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien is calling for the premier to follow their lead.
"No political leader should be able to survive this type of failure," he told reporters.
But Mr Andrews is standing firm.
"Not only will I not resign, because that is just not who I am, I'll be on the ballot in 2022," he said.
Ms Coate made 12 recommendations on top of 69 in the inquiry's interim report, including updating Victoria's pandemic plan and further exploring mandatory testing for returned travellers.
In addition, she wants the Public Sector Commissioner to examine the inquiry's evidence as to the lines of accountability and responsibility between departmental heads and ministers.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp should also be tasked with clarifying language used in Victoria's emergency management manual to ensure there is no ambiguity about the role and responsibility of a control agency.
Mr Andrews said his government plans to adopt all 12 recommendations, after spending the summer considering the report in detail.
Victoria's second wave of coronavirus, which resulted in more than 18,000 new infections and 800 deaths, was triggered by security guards who became infected at the Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza hotels in May and June.
Australian Associated Press
