Writing on the wall?

Perhaps even worse than the quarantine scandal was the state's lamentable track-and-trace capability.

Victoria's track-and-trace, perhaps more accurately termed fax-and-flail, was described by a state Upper House inquiry as a "failure".

The reliance on old data entry and computing technology, including faxes, "meant that the system for contact tracing and recording of testing was not fit to deal with any escalation in cases and led to significant errors", the report found.

Predictably Greens MP Adam Bandt blamed the poor showing on "years of cutting away at the public service".

Waleed Aly also noted Victoria's contract tracking "was abysmally small and under-resourced".

That makes it an odd standout because Victoria's public sector is hardly being whittled down to the bone by a Scrooge government, evilly chortling while slashing its blood-stained razor with abandon.

Under Andrews the public sector has grown by 21 per cent with the executive ranks doubling.

Andrews has more personnel answering to his chief of staff than the Prime Minister does. The Victorian Premier is also paid more than the national leader or any state counterpart.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet has tripled in size since Andrews came to power and has a head count of more than 1000.

The Herald Sun reported the Premier has 1100 spin doctors, with a wage bill estimated at $110 million.

To amplify the effectiveness of his army of spinners, the Premier spends almost $3000 a week on Facebook advertising, which adds up to nearly $800,000 over five years.

So, underfunding the infectious diseases unit speaks more to Andrews' priorities than penny-pinching.