The splitting of DHHS is an admission by the Andrews Government that the mega department has failed in delivering both health and human services to Victorians.
Dividing the Health and Human Services functions into two separate departments is something the Liberal and Nationals have been calling for, most recently in the November edition of Back to Work.
It has been evident that throughout the COVID-19 crisis that Labor’s DHHS has operated in a chaotic and dysfunctional manner.
The litany of failures, whether in Hotel Quarantine or contact tracing where DHHS had oversight has led to the loss of Victorian lives and livelihoods.
The tragic loss of life and ongoing economic impacts could have been avoided if proper processes and systems had been in place.
Victoria is in this mess not because of bad luck, but because of incompetence and mismanagement by Daniel Andrews and Labor.
Victorians deserve a Department of Health that can solely focus on the health system in a calibrated, targeted and timely manner.
Equally, the areas of human services that encompass the very important areas of Prevention of Family Violence, Child Protection, Disability, and Housing, deserve a Department to oversee these vital services.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Health, Georgie Crozier:
“Labor splitting DHHS has been long overdue.
“In a year where an effective and timely response was needed Labor’s DHHS mega-department failed.
“DHHS is too big, it has been poorly managed by Labor and it failed Victorians when it mattered.”
