NSW Health has acted immediately to address the failures identified in the Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess to ensure the errors are not repeated.
Special Commission of Inquiry Commissioner Bret Walker reported that a number of mistakes were made by public health officials, but also noted the officials were diligent, and properly organised.
“There are no ‘systemic’ failures to address,” Mr Walker said.
“Put simply, despite the best efforts of all, some serious mistakes were made,” he said.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the State would work closely with the Commonwealth to adopt all recommendations made by the Special Commission of Inquiry.
“Over the weekend I reviewed the Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess, and it is clear mistakes were made by NSW Health and others,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“I recognise the hurt and suffering these mistakes caused, and I apologise for that,” she said.
“These issues occurred during an extraordinary time of great uncertainty, and as we navigate this pandemic we will continue to learn from mistakes and where we could have done better.”
“We have learned from the Ruby Princess and the public can have confidence we will avoid such a situation occurring again.”
Ms Berejiklian said that given the ongoing pandemic, she expected the recommendations related to NSW to be implemented as soon as possible, and work to begin immediately with the Federal Government on the other recommendations.
