The respected and high-profile watchdog said a “dominating factor” in these policies was the community and government’s “obsession” with eliminating COVID-19. She said:“The impact of lockdowns on mental health,the young and very old is yet to be ... understood,yet to be measured.”
Multiple witnesses who saw Foley moments before he spoke to Glass claimed he was visibly frustrated.
He approached her after her speech to launch the bookLockdown byAge chief reporter Chip Le Grand. A source with direct knowledge of the conversation said the MP raised concerns about whether it was appropriate for a parliamentary officer,appointed on a 10-year term,to give a speech that could be perceived as being a commentary on the government’s pandemic response.
Foley believed Glass should not have put herself in a position where she could be perceived to be involved in the daily cut-and-thrust of politics.
The Albert Park MP,who willretire at the election and resigned as health minister in June,was especially frustrated about the timing of the speech – three months out from an election when the government’s divisive handling of the pandemic will feature in the campaign debate.
He faulted her for what he believed was a part of her speech insinuating he was health minister at the time of the public housing tower lockdown,which occurred before he was appointed to the role. However,her speech did not explicitly state that he was.