Navy veteran launches plan to tackle Sydney’s cruise ship crisis with greater Garden Island access
FORMER Liberal leader and decorated Navy reserve captain Peter Collins has proposed greater holiday cruise vessel access to Garden Island.
NSW
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FORMER Liberal leader and decorated Navy reserve captain Peter Collins has proposed greater holiday cruise vessel access to Garden Island or construction of a new terminal as potential strategies to tackle Sydney’s cruise ship crisis.
Mr Collins, who left the Navy in 2012 having served as fleet legal officer and winning a commendation medal for active duty in Iraq, has been given the tough job of sorting out the chronic lack of space for cruise ships on Sydney Harbour by the end of the year.
Construction of a major new terminal big enough for modern vessels incapable of getting under the Sydney Harbour Bridge is also being raised as another possible cruise ship strategy, given the fact the issue is already costing NSW tens of millions of dollars.
Mr Collins will lead a new cruise industry reference group, with industry and government representatives, that is due to table solutions in September. The government is expected to act on its recommendations by the end of 2017.
The matter is urgent because the Overseas Passenger Terminal, which recently had a $22 million upgrade is at capacity.
Defence only allows a maximum of three cruise ships per season at Garden Island and this will be limited further during upcoming renovations.
The state government spent $57 million on a new cruise terminal at White Bay near Balmain in 2013 but most modern ships can’t fit under the bridge.
As a result, major operators like Carnival and Royal Caribbean are starting to take their ships interstate or to Asia, costing NSW’s economy $65 million over the next two years.
The cruise industry is worth $3 billion to NSW but successive state governments have failed to properly plan for its stellar growth.
CRUISE LUXURY
Mr Collins said negotiating a way to allow cruise ships greater access to Garden Island Defence base is likely to be the most cost-effective answer.
But he has not ruled out building a major new cruise terminal east of the harbour bridge, despite the obvious lack of space.
“The reference group has the latitude to look at alternatives like that and all options are on the table,” he said. Mr Collins said any increased shared use of Garden Island would not be about kicking out the Navy, which plays its own “pivotal” role in Sydney’s economy.
The cruise industry and state government have intensely lobbied for greater access to Garden Island for many years, including former premier Mike Baird, who said in 2014 it would be “beneficial” for the industry amid soaring demand from holiday-makers.
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