There has been no shortage of finger pointing as the blame game has played out behind the scenes. Leaked emails revealed this week that top bureaucrats warned senior health officials at the beginning of the hotel quarantine scheme that security guards were ill-equipped for the work and demanded police take control. Nothing was done, with a senior Emergency Management Victoria official responding by saying police were not required because guards could call triple zero if law enforcement was needed.

To get to the bottom of the debacle, a judicial inquiry into the hotel scheme will hold its first public hearing on Monday with opening statements from the judge in charge, Jennifer Coate, and counsel assisting Tony Neal, QC. They will examine all aspects of the operation that led to the outbreak, although it is unclear how much heat they can put on the role of government ministers.

And it's not just questions from the media that the government is batting away. Recent genomic sequencing that could reveal how many of Victoria's COVID-19 cases are linked to the state's quarantine hotel outbreaks is being kept under wraps until the inquiry gets under way. Similar sequencing earlier this month showed up a significant proportion of Melbourne's new coronavirus cases could be linked back to hotels.

While The Age welcomes the establishment of an inquiry, it has been dismayed by the willingness of the government to shut down the debate for weeks. While Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien has desperately tried to make the most of it, calling for the resignation of various ministers, the lack of candour is doing most harm to the government's public standing.

At a time when Mr Andrews needs the support of the community more than ever, it has been a glaring shortfall. For while the inquiry will surely do its best to reveal the full extent of the hotel failures, the truth is the truth no matter when it is told.

The Premier is willing to stand up each day to tell us the terrible numbers – 428 new infections on Friday. The more bad news we get, unvarnished, the more willing Victorians will be to do whatever is necessary to flatten the curve.

This pandemic throws up enormous logistical challenges and tough choices every day. Mistakes will be made, and some such as hotel quarantine will have enormous consequences, while others will soon be forgotten. Accepting fault, finding solutions, being truthful and transparent, all need to be part of the response. It would ensure that in the eyes of the public, accountability takes precedence, no matter what the consequence.