Security boss tells explosive new Peta Credlin documentary he was stunned by being LEFT OUT of the inquiry into Melbourne's hotel quarantine debacle - despite wanting to testify
A security boss has claimed in Peta Credlin's new documentary that he was never called as a witness at Melbourne's hotel inquiry.
The reporter presented a special investigation into the disastrous ramifications of the Victoria hotel quarantine fiasco which aired on Sky News on Sunday night.
The series of failures that allowed coronavirus to seep from hotels into the public resulted in 819 deaths and drove thousands of businesses to close as Melbourne was put into lockdown.
Sky News host Peta Credlin interviewed several Victorians impacted by the state's horror second wave in new documentary Deadly Decisions: Victoria's hotel quarantine catastrophe
While Deadly Decisions: Victoria's Hotel Quarantine Catastrophe shed light on the heartbreaking experiences of those affected by the state's second wave, concerning issues were also raised over the efficiency of the inquiry tasked with pinpointing what went wrong.
Most cases of the cases stemmed from Rydges on Swanston, which used security company Elite Protection Services .
But EPS business owner Andrew McLean told Ms Credlin his 500-page submission to the inquiry was ignored and claimed he was never called as a witness to give evidence.
Mr McLean said he had disclosed breaches of protocols, breakdown in command, and confusion about directives from health authorities over how staff should handle operations.
'There was conversations and conflict between whether the guests were able to have fresh-air walks,' he said.
'There was conversations and conflict about whether they should have Uber Eats deliveries, whether they should have alcohol in their rooms, who should be delivering the stuff to their rooms.
'It was just an ongoing conversation and obviously, we were trying to manage all of the things that needed to be managed, but there's a mental health aspect of people being shut down in those rooms, to people with really heavy smoking habits, not being able to go out for a cigarette, other things, as silly as somebody bought themselves a coffee machine and had it delivered.'
Mr McLean said he did not understand why his submission was not accepted by the inquiry.
Elite Protection Services business owner Andrew McLean told Peta Credlin he was not called as a witness at Victoria's hotel inquiry despite reporting issues he witnessed while his staff were subcontracted at Rydges on Swanston
The company owner said positive cases from the Cedar Meats cluster were sent to stay at his hotel, which caused conflict as they were quarantining voluntarily and were thus not required to obey directives from his staff.
He said the abattoir workers were given documents outlining their rights that differed to returned travellers, which allowed them to leave freely.
Mr McLean said the alternative treatments between the two groups made it difficult for his security guards to enforce the policy they had been using, and alleged the DHHS's decision to combine them in the same hotel was a mistake.
EPS, a subcontractor of Sydney-based firm Unified Security, was removed from the job in May.
The documentary also featured a struggling business owner, a grieving family, a lawyer seeking justice for those who lost loved ones, a doctor who has witnessed a rise in mental health problems, and the state's former Premier Jeff Kennett.
The inquiry's report will be delivered in December.
Pictured: The Rydges on Swanston where Mr McLean's subcontractors worked during the hotel quarantine program