Coronavirus Australia: Ruby Princess decision a ‘tipping point’ for NSW

Labor leader Kristina Keneally has lashed out at the government for allowing passengers from the Ruby Princess enter the community.

The NSW government is coming under increasing criticism over its decision to allow a cruise ship to dock in Sydney during the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 130 passengers from the Ruby Princess have now tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship was allowed to dock in Sydney on March 19. The ship was given the green light to disembark passengers by Australian Border Force, who said NSW Health classed the ship’s passengers as being “low risk”.

Today Labor leader Kristina Keneally called the decision to allow passengers off the ship a “tipping point”.

“Let’s understand what this one ship has brought to Australia's Shores. We have now 133 passengers and counting from the Ruby Princess cruise ship that have tested positive for coronavirus.

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“The Ruby Princess cruise ship coronavirus cases account for 10 per cent of the cases in New South Wales. And quite tragically, there has already been one death.”

The Ruby Princess off the coast of Sydney. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Ms Keneally said Scott Morrison needs to be held to account for allowing the cruise liner to dock, after making assertions that no more cruise ships would disembark passengers after March 15.

“There was another cruise ship, the Ruby Princess, it disembarked 2700 people just four days after the Prime Minister made that statement,” Ms Keneally said today.

“Just four days later, 2700 people disembarked that cruise ship and now we have seen the disastrous results.”

“As these people got off this cruise ship, they spread right across the country.”

The Labor leader’s comments were supported by the Maritime Union of Australia, who yesterday called for all movements of cruise ships to be indefinitely suspended. The union’s Assistant Secretary Paul Garrett said “until proper protocols are put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19” all cruises need to be halted in an interview with Sky News.

Mr Garrett said the ship was: “allowed to dock under the cover of darkness, and now there’s multiple cases out there in the community which should have been quarantined”.

He said relying on ships to self regulate and self-declare was an “absolute disgrace”.