Coronavirus Ruby Princess cruise ship fiasco not our fault: ABF chief

Michael Outram lashes NSW government for not allowing health workers on board Ruby Princess as Kristina Keneally blames PM.

Cruise ship passengers disembark from the Ruby Princess on March 19 at Sydney’s Circular Quay. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP

Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram has declared the NSW government was responsible for allowing Ruby Princess passengers to disembark without being assessed by doctors, despite the state’s health department being advised there were sick people on board.

Mr Outram said the ship’s agent told NSW Health the day before it came into port at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney that 13 of its 2700 passengers were isolated with “flu-like symptoms”. The vessel was still deemed by the state government to be “low risk”.

Defending his agency after The Australian revealed NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a confidential party room meeting that ABF officials were responsible for the decision to release passengers, Mr Outram said it was the federal Department of Agriculture and state and territory health departments who were accountable for biosecurity risks.

At least 133 passengers have now contracted the coronavirus and one woman has died.

“When a cruise ship for example came into the port of Melbourne only a few days before the Ruby Princess, Victoria Health were advised by the ship that there were some passengers on board with flu-like symptoms,” Mr Outram said.

“There are three red lights on: customs, immigration and human biosecurity. My officers were satisfied that there was no contraband on board and my officers were satisfied there was no people on board with visa problems. But Victoria Health said ‘can you just hold that vessel there because we want to come on board that vessel and we want to come and take swabs from the passengers’.

Australian Border Force (ABF) Commissioner Michael Outram talks to the media at a press conference on Wednesday. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

“Victoria Health boarded the vessel in the port of Melbourne, they took swabs and they asked us to hold all the passengers and crew on that vessel until the results of those swabs were known. So you still have one red light and they didn’t get off. We held them for a day and the test results came back negative and then they were allowed to disembark.

“What broke down in this case (of the Ruby Princess) was of course I think health officers, trained doctors or nurses didn't get on board the vessel, swab passengers and take those swabs for results before a decision was taken about disembarking the passengers, which is why when I spoke to NSW health government on Friday night, I said 'what I saw in Victoria, the way that vessel was handled was done very, very well, and had that occurred in this case, what happened wouldn't have happened'.”

NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay said Ms Berejiklian and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard owed the country an explanation.

“We still haven’t got from the NSW government how many people were contacted (about the cases of coronavirus from the ship). The least the government can offer us is an explanation as to how many people have actually been contacted,” Ms McKay said.

Labor’s deputy leader, Yasmin Catley, added that the breakdown resulting in the disembarking of passengers symbolised a “serious failure” on the ports.

“We have just seen the head of the (Australian) Border Force squarely lay the blame at the feet of the NSW government. There are people who have been put at risk because of this government’s failure.”

ABF officers have now been ordered to ask the master of every cruise ship whether anyone on board has flu-like symptoms during the coronavirus pandemic, in an admission the agency could have done more to prevent the Ruby Princess debacle.

“While my officers haven't got a duty in law to deal with biosecurity matters, since this Ruby Princess case happened I’ve asked all my officers in every case board every ship and ask the master ‘has anyone on this vessel got or had flu-like symptoms’ in plain English,” Mr Outram said.

"If the answer to that question is 'yes', we will not let anyone off until we have spoken personally with the local department of health."

While he was confident there would not be a repeat of the Ruby Princess crisis, he said it was up to the relevant state’s health department and the federal Department of Agriculture that had responsibility for ensuring cruise ships presented no biosecurity risk to the public.

“If there is any doubt whatsoever about the wellness or the wellbeing of crew or passengers on a cruise ship, or a cargo ship for that matter when it comes into port, then before those passengers or crew are let off, there should be, I think, a presence at the ship by the department of health in that particular state or territory,” Mr Outram said.

“The vessel came into port the 19th of March. Six border force officers along with four Department of Agriculture officials boarded the vessel at 6.10am. As you just heard, there were no NSW Health officials present, they thought the vessel was low risk and there was no need to attend the vessel.

“My officers wore masks and gloves nonetheless as per our protocols at the border. The agent’s advice was there were a number of passengers isolated in their cabins – my officers weren’t aware of the communications between NSW Health and the vessel – with flu-like symptoms.

“At that point the Department of Agriculture officials advised my officers that NSW Health had conducted a risk assessment, had rated the risk as low and that health officials would not be attending the vessel. As a result of that information, all of the passengers were given a green light to disembark.”

‘Tipping point’: Keneally

Opposition home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally accused the federal government of making the “gobsmacking” decision of letting the Ruby Princess dock in Sydney on March 19.

“When we look back at this coronavirus crisis, we will see that the Ruby Princess cruise ship is a tipping point,” she said.

Kristina Keneally accused the federal government of making the “gobsmacking” decision to let the ship dock. Picture: James Gourley/AAP

“(Those passengers) went into taxis and public transport, they took domestic flights, they interacted with friends and neighbours, they went to shops. Yes, they were directed to self isolate. But, they were allowed to travel freely across the country.

“The Prime Minister said he would stop the cruise ships. He did not stop the cruise ships.”