Embarking on the Ruby Princess cruise at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic believing the liner was free from the virus was "very stupid", a judge has been told.

In the Federal Court on Monday, former nurse Susan Karpik admitted she had been extremely naïve in expecting Princess Cruises to eliminate coronavirus from the Ruby Princess before the ship left Sydney on March 8, 2020.

"We had assumed there was no coronavirus on that ship when we boarded … and I recognise now it was probably very stupid of us to have that view," she told Justice Angus Stewart.

READ MORE: Thousands more Victorian homes under threat as floodwaters surge

At the time, however, she expected Princess Cruises to have systems that eradicated the risk and to either cancel the voyage or at least inform passengers if the virus was detected.

Karpik is the lead plaintiff in a class action against Australian charter company Carnival, which trades under the Princess Cruises name, and the operator of the Ruby Princess, Bermuda-registered Princess Cruise Lines.

She is seeking damages, alleging the cruise line failed in its duty to take reasonable care of the passengers.

Her individual claim revolves around the stress and disappointment caused by the illness of her husband Henry, who had to be placed in an induced four-week coma after contracting the virus, and his ongoing care.

In total, 663 positive cases were reported among the 2641 passengers, including 1679 Australians on board.

Twenty-eight people died from the outbreak.

READ MORE: Serial killer suspect arrested while 'hunting'

The Ruby Princess sailed from Sydney for New Zealand on a 13-day round trip, but returned 11 days later, when Australia's borders were shut in the early days of the pandemic.

Karpik told the court her husband tested positive to influenza A aboard, but that he was not tested for coronavirus.

"He asked the ship's doctor if he could be tested and she said that the tests were not available, the helicopter hadn't dropped them off yet."

Princess Cruises' barrister David McClure SC pointed out that any mention of a lack of testing kits was omitted from Karpik's statements to NSW Police in April and May 2020.

Claims a woman had been seen coughing profusely in a elevator and that Karpik had headaches and diarrhoea while on board were also absent from these earlier statements despite being included in her affidavits, the court heard.

McClure accused the former nurse of lying and making absurd claims to help win the class action.

Karpik denied these allegations.

She told the court her doctor son-in-law had raised concerns about coronavirus before they departed.

"He actually said that cruise ships from his perspective were Petri dishes and the risk of infection was high for any illness or any condition."

They also discussed Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess on which around 700 people became infected with the virus off Japan in February 2020.

Karpik said she expected Princess to take extra steps to prevent further outbreaks after the Diamond Princess incident.

The couple boarded the Ruby Princess knowing COVID-19 was highly contagious and possibly fatal, the court heard.

She said that, at the time, she knew the virus was circulating in the northern hemisphere but was not aware that over 70 Australians had contracted the disease and that two had died.

Karpik expected Princess Cruises to be "100 per cent cautious" about the screening of staff coming in from across the globe.

"We might have been terribly mistaken, but we felt that the cruise company had an obligation to us as customers that that screening would happen."

She felt reassured about measures taken by the cruise line including barring those who had travelled to China, Macau or Hong Kong from embarking.

Also representing Princess Cruises, barrister Greg O'Mahoney attacked the former nurse's claim that she was now taking a higher dosage of anti-depressants as a result of the cruise.

Instead, O'Mahoney suggested she had been diagnosed with depression years before the trip and had previously taken the exact same dose as she was currently taking due to other stressors.

Karpik will continue her evidence on Tuesday.

Thirty older Australians on average have been dying each day while waiting on federal government funding to remain in their own homes, 9News Melbourne can reveal.

There are four levels of care in the Home Care Packages Program, the scheme that older Australians can apply to access, ranging from basic to high-level care.

It's designed to provide escalating levels of assistance with things like cleaning, medication, personal care, and errands.

READ MORE: Residents in tears after looting in flood-hit Melbourne

9News asked the Department for Health and Aged Care for figures relating to the size of the waiting list to join the program, the average waiting time, and how many people were not accepted into the system including how many died or entered residential care.

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws revealed between July 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021, 50,496 older Australians died while waiting to have their claims approved.

Some families have told 9News they were sent letters about having an application finally approved months after their loved one had passed away.

Over the same 4.5-year period, 57,892 people who were still waiting for assistance had to opt to go into permanent residential care instead.

The average wait-time is now down to between three and six months, but this time last year it was six to nine months.

READ MORE: Supermarket shelves stripped bare as homes remain under threat as floodwaters surge

When Simone O'Malveney applied for funding for her ill father in 2019, they faced a wait for approval and then for the money to arrive.

"When Dad was very ill in 2019… we were (saying), 'Wow, we need help now,'" she told 9News.

"He was assessed at (highest level) four pretty much straight away.

"Then the funding didn't come through… 'til 2021.

"If we hadn't been in Sydney, with extended family helping us, I don't know how we would have got through it."

Her father Ashley Schwarz has a range of serious health conditions, including vascular dementia and long-term diabetes.

But he didn't want to go into care, preferring to be self-reliant.

READ MORE: Rising floodwaters threaten dozens of horses in regional Victoria

"It's very important to me (to stay in my home) because I prefer it," he said.

"I don't have to learn new things. I got accustomed to how things are."

O'Malveney added: "He saw his elderly relatives going into nursing homes … when he was younger – and he's not happy about it."

It's a common experience, according to Craig Gear, chief executive of the Older Persons Advocacy Network.

"Older people tell us that they want to stay in their homes – they want to stay independent for as long as possible," Gear said.

There have been steady improvements but it's not enough.

"While we're seeing more packages come into the system, they're still not adequate and no-one should have to wait more than four weeks for the appropriate level of care," Gear said.

"Older people should be expecting that the care that they need should be available when they need it."

He has also pointed to staffing shortages as a serious issue.

"One of the biggest challenges is the availability of a highly skilled passionate workforce. We need initiatives to get people into the workforce," Gear said.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells told 9News in a statement from her department:

• People with an urgent need for a Home Care Package (HCP), assessed as a high priority, are currently being assigned their approved level HCP within one month
• People with a medium priority are currently being assigned their approved level HCP within three-six months
• The government is committed to meeting the preferences of older Australians to age in place and more quickly access the support they are assessed as needing
• The rate of people dying while waiting for a HCP is proportionate to the death rate in the Australian aged population
• People waiting for a HCP may also be approved to access other aged care programs such as the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, Short-Term Restorative Care Programme and the Transition Care Programme, to ensure their care needs are addressed while they wait for a package

A plumbing tutor was dismissed from the Eastern Institute of Technology after swearing at his students, calling one of them an “effing idiot”, and forgetting to turn up to teach a night class. At the time of his dismissal, David…

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will have her first meeting with new Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown on Thursday – a meeting that could be uncomfortable given Brown’s campaign against a number of Government reforms and his instruction to…

The Government is considering extending the Covid-19 Act, which gives politicians the power to impose restrictions to counter the Covid-19 virus.However, a spokesman for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the act would be amended…

A Maribyrnong resident has broken down in tears after discovering his flood-hit Melbourne property had been burgled early this morning.

A looter was reportedly seen fleeing the property on Burton Crescent, stealing thousands of dollars' worth of personal items, including a power tool, from Faraj Ghatas and his wife.

"I say the situation must be so bad to rob from us? Are they human? No," he said.

READ MORE: 'Too late to leave': Victorian homes under threat as floodwaters surge

Ghatas has lost nearly 30 years of memories after floodwaters inundated his home on Friday morning.

"Our house is completely damaged, my garage, my garden, my house is gone," he said.

"Twenty-seven years in this house, so many memories.

"We remember everything, so many toys, so many photos, so many memories and so many Christmases.

"What type of person does this?"

READ MORE: 'Frightened, wet and exhausted' native animals filmed desperately fleeing floodwaters

Meanwhile, suspected looters were nearly caught in the act by a camera crew early this morning.

Today weather presenter Tim Davies and his camera crew arrived at the corner of Oakland Street and Burton Crescent, where a "staggering" amount of possessions had been left behind by residents forced to flee the floods.

Davies said he saw three men in a navy blue Ford Territory, wearing face masks and hoodies, "fly out of the homes" as soon as he saw the news crew arrive.

"These guys got out of here quick-sticks because they knew we were media and here to tell the story and we had cameras to show what's happening at the moment," Davies said.

"But these guys are obviously up to no good, couldn't get out of here fast enough.

"Sickening sight to see people doing that sort of thing here in the streets of Melbourne early this morning with these residents already going through so much.

"As I said, we are in contact with Victoria Police at the moment to give them all the details we can about what we have just witnessed here."

READ MORE: ADF choppers to be sent in to help with Victorian evacuations

Homeowner Darren told The Age that the thieves took the few personal items that had avoided flood damage, including a laptop, iPads and an e-bike.

"I can't believe humanity can be so low. They've kicked us when we're already down," he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the behaviour of some people were extremely disappointing.

"During these very difficult times, we see the best of the Victorian spirit," he said.

"People looking out for each other. People looking out for each other. People doing quite extraordinary things.

"And then we see some other behaviour that is really, really poor."

Emergencies Minister Murray Watt labelled the actions of looters as "un-Australian".

"I met people in the last couple of days who have lost everything, and are really traumatised," he said.

"So, to have looting happen on top of that is completely unacceptable, and I'm sure that the police are doing everything they can to get that under control."

Victoria Police arrived at the home shortly after they were notified and have made contact with the owner, who was not home at the time.

READ MORE: Victorians impacted by floodwaters eligible for emergency payments

It comes as emergency call takers dealing with flood victims in the early hours of Sunday became victims of crime when their cars were broken into outside their workplace in Ballarat.

Police have confirmed about 15 cars were broken into at the carpark on Enterprise Grove in Mount Helen about 2am.

Windows were smashed before the vehicles were ransacked.

It is unknown what was stolen.

Police said they were investigating possible links to other thefts from cars in the Warrenheip and Mount Helen areas over the weekend.

Victorian Ambulance Union Secretary Danny Hill has taken to Twitter to slam the break-ins as "disgusting behaviour".

A young woman taken on by a barber shop to sweep floors and make coffee cut the hair of three clients, triggering a costly employment penalty for the business.Star Cutz Barbershop in Palmerston North has been ordered to pay $12,772…

A former West Australian cop has been found guilty of drugging and raping 13 women during his time as a serving officer.

It took the jury six hours to find Adrian Trevor Moore guilty of all 87 charges relating to the pattern of abuse, which spanned over a decade. 

The five-week trial heard from all 13 victims and the court was played videos Moore recorded of his vile and degrading acts – which included bestiality.

READ MORE: Former NRL star Brett Finch 'disgusted' by his child abuse messages

Many were unaware of what Moore had done to them.

Judge Alan Troy told the court he "greatly regretted" the jury had to see such graphic and confronting imagery, but it was "utterly unavoidable".

He said Moore's crimes "involve a degree of sadism that is unprecedented in my experience".

The 52-year-old will be sentenced in December.

https://twitter.com/lourennie9/status/1581869839940874240

State Highway 1 was closed after a crash blocked lanes in both directions north of Auckland Monday evening, but delays remain.Police said a truck travelling south crashed into a van about 4.49pm, closing the highway.One person…

Several loud explosions rocked the centre of the Ukrainian capital Monday, a week after Russia orchestrated a massive, coordinated air strike across the country.

Kyiv city mayor Vitaliy Klichko said the central Shevchenko district of the capital had been hit, and urged residents to take shelter.

No further details were immediately known.

READ MORE: Victorian homes under threat as floodwaters surge

The explosions came from the same central Kyiv district where a week ago a missile struck a children's playground and intersection near the Kyiv National University's main buildings.

Social media posts showed a fire in the area of the apparently strike, with black smoke rising into the early morning light.

According to the BBC, Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskyy's office, wrote on the social media platform Telegram that residential buildings had been badly damaged as a result of the strikes, which he says were carried out by so-called kamikaze drones.

Russian forces struck Kyiv with Iranian Shahed drones, wrote Andrii Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, in a post on the Telegram social media site.

Russia has repeatedly been using the so-called suicide drones in recent weeks to target urban centres and infrastructure, including power stations.

READ MORE: NATO and Russia to hold nuclear exercises

The strike on Kyiv comes as fighting has intensified in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in recent days, as well as the continued Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south near Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last night in his evening address that there was heavy fighting around the cities of Bakhmut and Soledar in the Donetsk region.

The Donetsk and Luhansk regions make up the bulk of the industrial east known as the Donbas, and were two of four regions annexed by Russia in September in defiance of international law.

On Sunday, the Russian-backed regime in the Donetsk region said Ukraine had shelled its central administrative building in a direct hit.

No casualties were reported.