The NSW Government would like to thank Commissioner Bret Walker SC and his team for their work on the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess.
The NSW Government extends its heartfelt apology to anyone who experienced any additional hurt, stress and trauma due to the mistakes made by NSW Health.
NSW Health has acted immediately to address the failures identified by Mr Walker to ensure the errors are not repeated.
The NSW Government will work closely with the Commonwealth to adopt all recommendations made by Mr Walker.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the report identified a number of concerning mistakes.
“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.
“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.”
Mr Walker’s report found a number of mistakes were made by public health officials but he also noted:
“They were diligent, and properly organised. There are no ‘systemic’ failures to address. Put simply, despite the best efforts of all, some serious mistakes were made.”
Ms Berejiklian said given the ongoing pandemic, she expected the recommendations relating to NSW to be implemented as soon as possible, and work to begin immediately with the Federal Government on the other recommendations.
