So how did the virus spread? Allegations of blame have been levelled at private security firms contracted to operate the state's quarantine. Neighbouring New South Wales took a different approach - using the police force.
Victoria has faced accusations of systemic failures such as guards being improperly trained or not given enough PPE.
Mr Andrews has also described cases of illegal socialising between staff, listing examples of workers sharing a cigarette lighter or car-pooling. Local media also reported claims of sex between guards and quarantined travellers.
The government has ordered a judicial inquiry into their quarantine operation and fired the contractors.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-53259356
Wasn't New Zealand's sudden spike a couple of months back due to inefficient quarantine hotel security and oversight by a contractor? I recall they eventually handed that role over to the military.
I think the UK government awarded their £90m Covid test and trace contract to Serco, a private company that had previously been fined over £19m for cocking-up on an at least two earlier government contracts.
The UK's test and trace program has been laughably slow and inefficient with a common complaint by contact tracers that they haven't been trained while others haven't been able to access their own systems. They got hired, sit at home doing bugger all and the government gets billed. Interestingly enough, the grounds for one of Serco's previous fines over malfeasance with their refugee-handling contract have never been disclosed and efforts to seek the details of this via the freedom of information act have been denied.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... te-1m-fine
Those wishing to complain about the current award have basically been told to pursue it through the same stymied legal process.
"openDemocracy asked the government to clarify the procurement process and the scope of works that Serco is carrying out – but the DWP declined to answer our questions. Instead, the department has insisted we raise a freedom of information request, a lengthy process with no guarantee of an answer"
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-m ... -contract/