THE federal Inspector-General of Biosecurity Rob Delane’s report on Ruby Princess’ spread of COVID-19 (CW 25 Mar 2020) has found failings by the Australian Government likely contributed to the disaster, the ABC has reported. Delane detailed how protocols were not followed during the inspection of Ruby the morning it docked...
THE federal Inspector-General of Biosecurity Rob Delane’s report on Ruby Princess’ spread of COVID-19 (CW 25 Mar 2020) has found failings by the Australian Government likely contributed to the disaster, the ABC has reported.
Delane detailed how protocols were not followed during the inspection of Ruby the morning it docked in Sydney, including the “crucial error” in the failure to interview sick passengers.
The report showed the agriculture officer sent aboard Ruby upon her return was not “senior and experienced”, and found no record they were trained to perform the inspection.
Sick travellers were supposed to be individually screened using a checklist, but this did not happen.
Ruby’s Master was also not interviewed, nor were the vessel’s medical logs inspected.
“There’s a whole sequence of events that led to the Department and its frontline officers not being as ready as the nation needed them to be,” Delane’s report read.
“If Agriculture had administered the Traveller with Illness Checklist in the way intended, passenger disembarkation could have been appropriately managed to minimise the human health risk.
“If the Acute Respiratory Diseases log had been viewed on the morning of the 19 Mar, it would have been noted that the log had not been updated since 17 Mar.”
Delane said Agriculture should have contacted NSW Health, whose officials had deemed Ruby low-risk the day before it arrived, based on the out-of-date information.
Notes from the inspection only mentioned a handful of diarrhea cases, and no record of any respiratory illnesses.
Delane’s review also catalogued years of problems inside the Department of Agriculture, Water & the Environment.
Years of missed opportunities include a 2018 internal audit of biosecurity for arriving ships that was largely not acted upon.
“Frankly, if the department had done what it agreed to do, then the chances of a Ruby Princess incident happening were significantly reduced,” he told the ABC’s 7.30 program.
Federal Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud conceded his department could improve, but said it was not solely to blame, adding the disaster was chiefly a failing of NSW Health – the outcome reached by last year’s NSW special commission of inquiry (CW 17 Aug 2020).
Commissioner Bret Walker stands by his finding from that commission, but after analysing the new report, he said if the federal system had performed better, it was “quite likely” the debacle could have been avoided.
