Coronavirus: Carnival Australia director denies claiming it was ‘business as usual’

A Carnival Australia director has denied telling a port official Ruby Princess was ‘not a COVID ship’.

Carnival Australia director Paul Mifsud. Picture: Nikki Short

A Carnival Australia director who took part in critical phone calls ­before the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney has denied telling a port official the vessel was “not a COVID ship” and that a “business as usual” policy should be adopted.

Paul Mifsud, director of port operations for Carnival Australia, told a special commission of ­inquiry on Monday that he could not recall using that language ­during calls leading up to the ship’s arrival in the early hours of March 19.

The inquiry had earlier heard from a witness that Mr Mifsud used those phrases during discussions about how to manage the ship.

Officials at the Port Authority of NSW had earlier moved to stop the ship entering Sydney Harbour amid uncertainty about COVID-19 on-board.

This decision, along with ­another to refuse a Port Authority of NSW pilot from boarding the ship, was reversed following phone conversations with Mr Mifsud.

The Carnival Australia director told the hearing he’d learned on the afternoon of March 18 that the ship had been cleared to dock by NSW Health.

Later that evening, he received a call from Robert ­Rybanic, an ­official with the NSW Port Authority, who had been advised about two passengers requiring an ambulance. The hearing has previously been told that the arrangement made for those passengers prompted concerns about possible COVID-19 infections, even though the ambulances were requested for a case of respiratory illness and for a case of femoral nerve damage.

“Do you recall ever saying something to the effect that NSW Health has said there is no COVID-19 on board?” asked commissioner Bret Walker SC in relation to the conversation Mr Mifsud held with Mr Rybanic.

“I do not believe I said that,” Mr Mifsud said.

He was then asked to confirm whether or not he made comments to Mr Rybanic that the Ruby Princess was “not a COVID ship” or used the term “BAU”, short for business as usual.

“What I may have said is there are no confirmed COVID cases on board at the time … because I knew the ship didn’t have the ability to do testing,” Mr Mifsud said, referring to the vessel’s inability to screen passengers for COVID-19.

“I recall mentioning … there were swabs to be landed, and NSW public health had asked us to get those to the lab as quickly as ­possible.”

The inquiry is expected to continue holding public and private hearings over the coming weeks, with further dates for public hearings to be determined.

The commission’s findings are expected to be delivered in ­August.