The Prime Minister has sidestepped questions about the Commonwealth’s accountability for the state’s aged care outbreaks, saying aged care is a “complex set of responsibilities”.
Asked directly whether he was happy to attach himself to successes during the pandemic, but falls back on ‘it’s the state’s responsibility’ when there are failures, Mr Morrison rejected the question.
“I think that’s an unkind assessment, and it doesn’t bear out the facts,” he told media on Wednesday morning.
“We regulate aged care, but when there is a public health pandemic, then public health, whether it gets into aged care, shopping centres, schools or anywhere else, then they are things that are for Victoria. So, I don’t think that it is as binary as you suggest.”
Mr Morrison pointed to the establishment of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre (VARC) as an example.
“It’s the overlapping of public health responsibilities which sit with states, and federal aged care regulation responsibilities sit with the Federal Government so, yes, it is a complex set of responsibilities and they are shared and that’s why we’re working together,” he stated.
The Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews refused to weigh in on the comments.
“I’m not interested in getting into a process where I try and interpret for you, comments from the Prime Minister. It might surprise you, but I’ve not seen the comments he’s made I’ve been briefed in general terms, but I did not see [the comments],” he said.
“The only attack that matters is our collective attack against this virus, that’s what I’m focused on, and that hasn’t changed and it won’t change in terms of age care what I can say to you is that we have been asked to provide support and assistance, we’re doing that.”
We can’t help but go back to the question raised at last week’s Royal Commission hearings: did the Commonwealth do enough to prepare aged care homes for the pandemic?
Counsel Assisting’s response was a flat no.
Mr Andrews has conceded his Government failed to prevent community transmission of the virus – doesn’t that responsibility extend to the Commonwealth too?