In Victoria there have been 637 #Covid19Vic deaths in #AgedCare so far. Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck said there was a plan to prevent this - the Aged Care Royal Commission reports there was #NoPlan. Time to step up, Morrison.

The Aged Care Royal Commission special report outlines that Aged Care services are a federal responsibility. It’s clear from the report that the federal government failed to learn from the Aged Care outbreak in NSW in April - it should have created a plan, but did not. #NoPlan

It also stated the AHPPC (chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer) provided no written guidance during the most critical time (when cases were rapidly increasing). Critical opportunities to slow spread and save lives were missed.

Worryingly, the report states the federal government delayed staff use of masks in homes by 5 weeks after the WHO advised masks should be worn by staff, as cases were rapidly mounting.

The report is clear Aged Care homes were exposed and vulnerable. It also states staff were not sufficiently trained. The mistakes in Vic Aged Care were repeats of the same mistakes made in NSW Aged Care. Nothing was learned and months of lead time were wasted.

In late July, Dan Andrews declared no confidence in some Commonwealth run aged care facilities. Virus spread was rampant and residents were living in squalid conditions. Around that time there were 765 active cases in Aged Care homes in Victoria.

Between that time and mid August, Victoria took over a number of Commonwealth run Aged Care operations. Cases quickly peaked, then began to drop and have been steadily falling since.

It is incorrect to say the Victorian Government is completely responsible for 768 deaths, including those in Aged Care. It’s correct to say the virus escaped hotel quarantine, but it’s incorrect to say hotel quarantine caused the major failures and deficiencies in Aged Care.

Media have been driving the view that Andrews is personally responsible for all deaths, but that view is not compatible with the Aged Care Royal Commission special report. The report renders impossible these views put forward by the media.

To avoid a repeat, partisan media attacks must stop so that responsibility and accountability are not misdirected. With a media landscape that is extraordinarily charitable to the coalition government, this is unlikely and we remain exposed.

The special report of the Aged Care Royal Commission makes clear shocking failures and deficiencies existed. It’s unknown how many lives could have been saved had the use of masks been mandated on time.

It’s unknown how many lives could have been saved had there been adequate staff arrangements. It’s unknown how many lives could have been saved if the lessons learned early in Aged Care in NSW had been used to form a plan. There was #NoPlan.