The Australian Financial Review writes..
Australia’s biggest law firm, MinterEllison, has come under scrutiny this week after its failure to provide a key document to Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry sparked a “please explain” from the commissioner and regulators.
The failure contributed to an extraordinary hearing of the investigation, orders for new evidence from key players in the Andrews government’s administration, and potential delays to the conclusion of the inquiry.
The move came after queries emerged over the evidence of Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton that he did not learn of the use of private security guards in the bungled quarantine scheme until the first coronavirus outbreak in the hotels in late May.
However, newspaper reports emerged about senior health department officials privately disputing this evidence, leading to demands from the inquiry for the production of an email chain involving Professor Sutton from March 27 – the day the program commenced – that mentioned the use of guards.
The inquiry is attempting to discover who made the decision to use private security guards at hotels instead of police or Defence Force troops. Nearly a dozen high-profile bureaucrats and politicians have denied responsibility.
More at https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/please-explain-hotel-quarantine-inquiry-to-minters-20201021-p5673o
