Family of COVID-19 victim ‘absolutely disgusted’ by hotel quarantine report

The family of a woman who died after contracting COVID-19 in aged care have been left “absolutely disgusted” by the final report handed down by the Hotel Quarantine Inquiry.

The inquiry has been unable to determine who made the decision to use private security in the failed hotel quarantine system.

Retired judge and head of the inquiry, Jennifer Coate, said nobody has taken ownership of the catastrophic decision.

“No person or agency claimed any responsibility for the decision to use private security as the first tier of security,” the report reads.

Suzanne Agnella’s 92-year-old mother-in-law died with COVID at Epping Gardens Aged Care, after coronavirus spilt out of the hotel quarantine system and sparked the second wave, which killed 801 people.

She says today’s inconclusive inquiry finding makes her feel like the government is getting away with killing people.

“How can a government run Victoria and nobody knows who signed the cheque?,” she told Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.

“How does the highest authority in this state get away with behaving like this?

“Do we just kill people and we don’t care? There’s no responsibility chain.”

Ms Agnella said her family intends to pursue further legal action.

“There’s no words,” she said.

“I think we need a royal commission … and a class action.

“We’ll be talking to lawyers.”

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