Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews has resisted calls to resign from his post following a judicial inquiry into the state's hotel quarantine system.
The Andrews government has been grilled about some of the failings that occurred in the plan that was meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The inquiry heard the hotel quarantine was responsible for Victoria's 768 deaths and 18,418 cases since the end of May, according to the Guardian. The investigation has also sought to find out what happened within Premier Daniel Andrews' government that caused such a bungle.
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But, Mr Andrews has rejected the idea that he would step aside and let a new leader take charge.
"I don't run from challenges. I don't run from problems. I'm not someone who quits to avoid doing the hard work that needs to be done," he said.
"I have a big job to do. I'm dedicated to getting it done...I can barely describe to you how committed I am to that task."
The calls for his resignation ramped up on the weekend after the state's Health Minister, Jenny Mikakos, announced her shock departure from her post. It came a day after Premier Andrews blamed the hotel quarantine bungle on Ms Mikakos.
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When asked whether he would follow the now-former Health Minister in stepping down, he said he would not.
"She issued a statement. That statement makes it very clear that she could no longer sit in the Cabinet. Any minister that comes to that conclusion has no choice but to resign," he said.
The massive inquiry into the system has heard Victoria's second wave of coronavirus infections could be traced to two quarantine hotels: the Stamford Plaza and the Rydges on Swanston.
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The combination of infectious people returning from overseas, private security guards being employed, poor infection-control practices, a lack of police or Australian Defence Force protection, and a 'hastily assembled' plan created the perfect breeding ground for more cases to spread.
Despite this finding, Premier Andrews has remained steadfast.
At a press briefing on Saturday, he uttered a similar mantra that he will be staying in his post and will guide Victoria out of the pandemic.
"I've got a very important job to do, which is to continue to get these case numbers down and then to begin the biggest recovery project that our state has ever seen," he said.
Featured Image Credit: PA