Spinning Gladys Berejiklian in Wonderland

As we confront the escalating medical, economic and social challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, Australians are recalibrating judgments on leaders. According to Newspoll, voters have marked up Scott Morrison’s leadership. Two months ago the Prime Minister’s standing seemed irreparably damaged by stumbles during Black Summer’s bushfires. Now, Mr Morrison has built a consensus on COVID-19 responses via a nine-member national cabinet and restored confidence in his abilities. Decisive and straight-talking Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also has enhanced his authority. The most dramatic reputational turnaround, however, has befallen NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who a year ago seemed so calm, sincere and competent when she led her team to a third term.

As Simon Benson noted on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, Ms Berejiklian “is the first casualty of this crisis”. Two words pervade her leadership: Ruby Princess. On March 19, almost 2700 travellers from the cruise ship were unleashed without health checks on the community. The vessel is the largest single source of COVID-19, with more than 620 cases; there have been 12 associated deaths. After blaming the Australian Border Force for the bungle, the NSW Premier apologised last week. Well, kind of. “I appreciate how upset everybody is,” she said. “There were several authorities involved and I’ll be the first one to look someone in the eye if they’ve done the wrong thing and make them accountable.” She won’t have to look far from home.

As we reported on Saturday, NSW Health officials did not board the Ruby Princess to test passengers for the virus even though the liner’s on-board doctor told them explicitly there were sick travellers on the ship. Emails obtained by Yoni Bashan show NSW officials dismissed any concern about the health of passengers and told the ship it was “free to disembark” without further tests. The revelations raise serious questions about the NSW Premier’s handling of the fiasco. The emails confirm ABF commissioner Michael Outram’s statement that NSW Health officials declined to board the ship and gave it the all-clear despite being told about passengers with flu symptoms.

Last week Ms Berejiklian ordered NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller to investigate but implied the ship misled health officials about the condition of passengers. Homicide detectives will conduct a formal inquiry to determine if operator Carnival Australia withheld crucial information. For a time, this move will insulate the Berejiklian government from political heat and media scrutiny. Sorry, folks, this is a criminal investigation. No pun intended, it’s a cop-out. The probe is likely to be a protracted one: nearly 4000 passengers and crew were on board at the time of the ship’s arrival.

Yet who in their right mind would think it OK to disperse so many people into the community a week after a pandemic had been declared; when more than 200,000 people had already been infected and 8800 had died; and while cruise ships were in the frame as super spreaders. Good to go, people. As NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told Sky News on Sunday, “The community should be satisfied that we had the best of the best making the decision.” Mr Hazzard said he “would have preferred” the bungle had not happened. Ditto, times a thousand. Asked if he now conceded letting thousands of untested passengers into Sydney was wrong, he said no.

Yet two weeks ago, when he bumbled along like a riddle-me-this character in a Gladys in Wonderland spoof, Mr Hazzard told reporters: “If I had my opportunity to have my two bob’s worth, with the benefit of what we now know about those … people, I’d have said yeah, maybe we should hold them on the ship.” This is what passes for ministerial accountability in NSW. The government is spinning like crazy, playing parlour games. Look over there! On Monday Ms Berejiklian announced NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons would head a new agency, Resilience NSW. Exquisite. Resilient NSW citizens are bearing unprecedented restrictions. This new normal, however, demands authorities be open and straight: taking responsibility for decisions good and bad. Ruby Princess has broken public trust. How can we be confident it won’t happen again if critical answers are not forthcoming until long after the crisis?