The Feds are responsible for quarantine, no argument.
But the States are responsible for health directions within States. The Feds have no say over the States CMOs.
The States and NT did freely sign up to manage the quarantine facilities.
Why do the Vic, SA and WA keep COVID positive people in medi-hotels instead of a COVID ward in a hospital as I believe happens in Qld?
If positives detected in HQ are not then heled in HQ, then the HQ cannot leak.
Good point but I suspect it was more a case of the Commonwealth saying "We're not doing so you'll have to" - it's no different in terms of dodging their responsibility as in "I don't hold a hose" and "We didn't do anything because the States never asked us for help" (he says, as half the bloody country is on fire).
Politics/Party aside, every government has stuff ups but this Fed Govt (i.e. the PM) spouts any BS to get out from under, laced with weasel words such as cohort, going forward, seeking to do something, in the such and such space, then does nothing, then when it turns to crap, blames someone else.
If I remember correctly, the evacuees from Wuhan initially, were taken to Xmas Island and quarantined - how many of them spread Covid into the community. I heard MANY stories at the time of people arriving at international terminals throughout the country no checks whatsoever were undertaken - airports are a Commonwealth responsibility. HQ was only ever intended as a stop-gap. Sure, several states have had some cock ups, Victoria isn't alone, WA had something similar but were lucky that it didn't lead to a second wave.
All in all though, overall, even with lock-downs, we're in a far better place than most other countries (except perhaps NZ).