In cool news, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is reportedly shielding two federal officials from official questioning over their leading role in allowing the infamous Ruby Princess cruise ship to dock and disembark in Sydney.
A NSW state-based enquiry into the handling of the Ruby Princess debacle is currently underway, seeking to ascertain just how in the blue hell passengers on the ship were allowed to be shuffled off the boat in a hasty manner on the night of March 19th. Four days prior, Prime Minister Morrison asserted that passengers would only be permitted to come ashore under the order and supervision of the Australian Defence Force. After disembarking and spreading into the community, it’s estimated that over 1,000 cases of coronavirus came directly from Ruby Princess passengers.
A federal Department of Biosecurity officer is known to have not completed the required checklists for passengers with illnesses. That, in turn, lead to errors in reporting that ultimately resulted in the ship being given the ok to disembark.
A special commission set up to investigate the handling of the incident submitted a legal summons for the officer to appear and answer questions, however the Federal Government has blocked that request. The Australian Government Solicitor, in this case, reportedly made the argument that the commission does not have the jurisdiction to question Federal officials.
Despite asserting his Government had cooperated with the commission, Prime Minister Morrison dodged questioning yesterday about the shielding.
When asked why the two officials in question should not appear to give evidence, Morrison stated “I said we would co-operate with the inquiry as we have with other inquiries, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
Labor Home Affairs spokesperson Kristina Keneally stated in response “All Australians had to live with the consequences of Scott Morrison’s failure to stop the Ruby Princess.”
“When Scott Morrison gets asked questions about the Ruby Princess, he ducks, weaves and hides because he is scared to face up to his failures or be honest with Australians,” she said.
The special commission is due to report to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian by this Friday.
Honestly, what a giant bloody mess this all is.
