Coronavirus: Criminal investigation begins as Ruby Princess death toll mounts

The police strike force investigating the Ruby Princess disaster will include more than 40 officers, as two more passengers die.

The Ruby Princess docked at Port Kembla in NSW. Picture: John Grainger

The police strike force investigating fatalities linking back to the Ruby Princess cruise ship will comprise more than 40 officers, making it one of the largest single investigative taskforces in NSW Police history.

The death toll from the cruise ship was revised up on Tuesday after a Tasmanian man in his 80s and an 87-year-old woman from the Sydney suburb of Sutherland died in hospital after contracting COVID-19.

In total, 14 passengers on board the ship have died since it arrived in Sydney riddled with COVID-19 on March 19.

Detectives are expected to hold their first briefing at 9am on Wednesday, with crime scene warrants set to be executed on board the ship in the coming days.

The ship remains docked in Port Kembla, south of Sydney, where port authorities have granted the vessel permission to remain until the end of next week; it will then be instructed to leave NSW territorial waters and return to its home port.

Troubling questions over the cruise ship’s arrival and the unchecked release of nearly 2700 of its passengers into the community have scandalised the country and damaged both Gladys Berejiklian and her government.

Last weekend, concerned MPs aligned to the Premier began orchestrating an effort to “save Gladys” from the sustained criticism both she and her government were experiencing since the disaster.

“Since Sunday they’ve been trying to deflect,” one MP told The Australian, citing strategic leaks of information and a series of upbeat announcements. “There’s been a real attempt to get in front of the news cycle.”

On Sunday, call logs kept by the Port Authority of NSW were released to the media; the same day the NSW Police Commissioner announced a criminal inquiry would be held into the Ruby Princess. The ship itself was subsequently moved to Port Kembla, where, as one MP said, “there are no Liberal voters”.

On Monday, Ms Berejiklian ­announced the formation of a new government agency — Resilience NSW — to be led by the immensely popular NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. The same day, free TAFE courses were announced to help upskill jobseekers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, another round of payroll tax relief was revealed for businesses earning up to $10m. The same day, reports emerged that suggested NSW Ports Minister ­Andrew Constance, a leadership contender, should have done more to shield the Premier from the cruise ship fallout.

The Labor opposition on Tuesday persisted with its calls for a special commission of inquiry into the Ruby Princess fiasco. Labor said a police investigation seemed inappropriate for the task because it was not obliged to make any of its ­findings public.

Asked on Tuesday whether the police would release their report, Ms Berejiklian said: “I’m assuming they will; that’s a matter for police.”

A NSW Police spokesman declined to answer questions about whether the findings of the investigation would be made public.

“The criminal investigation being conducted by strike force detectives has now commenced and any speculation as to the duration or outcomes of the investigation are inappropriate at this time,” the spokesman said.

The Australian reported on Monday that if the investigation does not culminate in a criminal charge or charges, any shortfalls identified with the agencies and personnel involved in the disaster will most likely remain concealed until a coronial inquiry is held.

Due to current backlogs, and ­because of the enormous investigative task at hand, this is unlikely to occur for at least 18 months.

Adam Searle, Labor’s leader in the upper house, said the Premier was hiding behind the investigation to avoid proper scrutiny.

“This is totally unacceptable,” he said. “The community deserves to know what happened, sooner rather than later. The passengers, their families and those who have lost loved ones deserve no less.”