Confirmation today that the Andrews Labor Government has paid almost $60 million to New South Wales to quarantine Victorian returned travellers adds further to the cost of Daniel Andrews’ failed COVID-19 quarantine program.
During Victoria’s catastrophic second wave when internationals arrivals were suspended, returning Victorians were left with no choice but to quarantine in New South Wales and other jurisdictions because the Andrews Labor Government could not safely bring them home.
As a consequence, the Victorian Government has been forced to fork out almost $60 million to New South Wales, despite spending at least $78 million on Victoria’s hotel quarantine program whilst it was suspended throughout the second half of 2020.
Furthermore, Victorian taxpayers can expect to receive another bill for when the hotel quarantine program was shut down again in February for a 3 month reset, again outsourcing the returning travellers quarantine program to New South Wales.
With the current iteration of hotel quarantine costing Victorian taxpayers more than $1 million per day, it is simply unacceptable Victorians have been left to pay twice for Daniel Andrews’ hotel quarantine failures.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Police and Crime Prevention, David Southwick:
“Under Labor, Victorians have paid twice for hotel quarantine. Once for Daniel Andrews’ botched program and again for New South Wales to host the returned travellers that Victoria couldn’t.
“You know something is wrong when it falls to other states to pick up the slack for Victoria’s failures.
“Daniel Andrews has no plan to fix his failed hotel quarantine program, only a plan to cut arrivals and lock Victorians out of their own state.”
