Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia, Senator McKenzie. The Inspector-General of Biosecurity found that officials from the federal department of agriculture made crucial errors in relation to the Ruby Princess. Federal officials did not administer travellers with an illness checklist, did not review the ship's medical log and therefore did not contact New South Wales Health to raise concerns about sick passengers and crew. The inspector-general told ABC, 'If the department had done what it agreed to do, then the chances of a Ruby Princess incident happening would have been significantly reduced.' Does the Morrison-Joyce government accept this finding?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I must apologise to the chamber and Senator Patrick, because my scribble meant I missed his second supplementary. I am sorry, Senator Patrick; please accept my sincere apologies. My intention is to move on with Senator Brown's question because Senator Patrick just texted me then. I will own up to that: that's the first time I've done that in my time in the chair. I owe you one, Senator Patrick. I will give you an extra one sometime.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question. My advice from the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia on this particular issue is that the Australian government is committed to protecting the lives and livelihoods of Australians from COVID-19 and takes the matter of the Ruby Princess incident very seriously. The New South Wales Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess found the incident was primarily a failing of NSW Health. At Minister Littleproud's request, the Inspector-General of Biosecurity reviewed matters relating to the Ruby Princess and made 42 recommendations.

Minister Littleproud asked the department to implement all recommendations from both the inspector-general's review and the Walker inquiry as a matter of priority, and significant progress has been made. In the article published by the ABC on 24 August 2021, the Inspector-General of Biosecurity said many other improvements were also being made. He said:

I'm dramatically more positive about the ability of the department to deal with these things today, than I would have been at the same time last year.

Minister Littleproud has said that the department could improve but that it is not ultimately responsible for the human health assessment. In response to the New South Wales commission and the review by the inspector-general, a series of actions have already been taken to improve the department's capability to respond to human biosecurity risks. New arrangements for communicating with human biosecurity officers and port stakeholders about human health issues are working well.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brown, a supplementary question?

Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

New South Wales special commissioner Bret Walker SC told the ABC:

There must be a real chance, a sensible possibility, that if the Commonwealth had done a better job on the Ruby Princess, that the state officers may not have made the mistakes they did.

The Morrison-Joyce government did not permit federal officials to appear as witnesses before Mr Walker and the New South Wales commission of inquiry. Why?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As part of the new arrangements, commercial vessels continue to arrive in Australia. When COVID-19 is confirmed or suspected in the crew, state health authorities have been effectively managing the risk in consultation with the Commonwealth—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Keneally, on a point of order?

Kristina Keneally (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance. I realise the minister has been speaking for only 15 seconds but her answer seems to be in no way relevant to the question. The question was: why weren't federal agriculture officials allowed to appear before the New South Wales special commission of inquiry? This answer seems to be completely irrelevant.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said before, there was a quotation and a preamble to it. A minister is entitled to address that part of the question, not just the part at the end. Short, specific questions give much less discretion to those answering them. The minister is entitled to address the quotation that was made before the part of the question that you mentioned.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Legislation with changes that were recommended by both the New South Wales commission and the inspector-general's review will be introduced to parliament. Since the Ruby Princess incident, the government invested a further $400 million in biosecurity in the 2021-22 budget on top of record spending in 2020-21. This will see a funding boost for, among other matters, staff at the front line and helping to modernise some of those border systems. The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment continues to work with states, territories and port stakeholders to further adjust systems and processes to better manage human health and biosecurity. They've established formal protocols— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Brown, a final supplementary question?

Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Ruby Princess resulted in 600 cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths in Australia. Will the Morrison-Joyce government now apologise for failing to stop the one boat that mattered?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): Of course, every single life lost through this global pandemic here at home is a tragedy. There has been an inquiry by the New South Wales commission and there has been an inquiry commissioned by our own Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia, David Littleproud, through the Inspector-General of Biosecurity. Those recommendations have been handed down and our government is committed to progressing and addressing those issues—every single matter. The minister has also sought additional funding to ensure that our officers at the front line of biosecurity here in this country—whether at ports, like the one mentioned, or in airports—have the very best technology and processes available to keep Australia safe. (Time expired)