It’s hard to describe how much of a communications train wreck NSW Health Minister, Brad Hazzard presented us with yesterday. Repeatedly interrupting, mansplaining and attempting to one-up Dr Kerry Chant during a parliamentary inquiry… it was, a lot.
Hazzard was belligerent with committee members seeking to get to the bottom of the clear mismanagement of the state’s growing COVID-19 outbreak, and refused, at times, to let Dr Chant speak on the matter even when she was directly asked to.
The committee, comprised of Opposition and Greens MPs, asked Dr Chant to provide the precise date she first gave Mr Hazzard advice about locking down Greater Sydney.
She replied that the formal advice to lock down the region was supplied to the NSW crisis cabinet on June 25, the same day stay-at-home orders were announced.
However, when the pair were asked to produce the documents for review, Hazzard flipped.
“I’ll answer that because obviously those issues go to crisis cabinet, which is a subcommittee of cabinet. But Dr Chant is under oath, and she’s giving you the evidence, which is quite clear, so she won’t be providing any documents,” he said.
Hazzard’s description of conduct within the NSW crisis cabinet also seemed to contradict Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s reiterated position that the government has at all times acted on the “health advice” provided by Dr Chant.
“I think it’s fair to say that what happens in the crisis cabinet is a really healthy discussion, because Dr Chant actually presents epidemiological advice and then there has to be discussions,” he said.
“[I] actually do what a minister should do and that is to obviously listen to the advice, challenge all the underpinning aspects of whatever is being asked to be done, if it has implications for mental health, for the economy, for all of those other things.”
When specifically quizzed about the handling of one of the city’s first major outbreaks which was triggered by a party in the western suburbs of West Hoxton, Hazzard interjected before Chant could provide a response.
Interrupted by Greens MP Michael Shoebridge who requested that Dr Chant be the one to answer, Hazzard retorted:
“Well, Dr Chant provided her answer and I might remind you that we have volunteered to come here, we’ve come here to try and assist, and we’re going to give you the information you need, so…”
“But the question was put to Dr Chant”, pushed Shoebridge.
“I will answer. No, actually I will answer the question that I’m now talking about,” a fired-up Hazzard responded. “Thank you. It’s not up to you to decide who’s going to answer the questions. I’m the minister, and I’ll answer it”, he said pointing to his chest.
There’s little sense to be made of the Health Minister’s bizarre performance, except to assume that there may be more to the story. Contrary to Hazzard’s claim that the pair had “volunteered” their time, the committee was entitled to a truthful and comprehensive account of events. By trying so conspicuously to keep Dr Chant’s under-oath account concealed, Hazzard only succeeded in opening up a bigger can of worms for he and his Premier.
With Sydney’s lockdown unlikely to end anytime soon and further outbreaks now scattered across the state, answers will be demanded. Like it or not, the NSW government is going to have to dish them up.