Peter Dutton shuts down proposal to share Garden Island naval base with cruise ships

Australia may be preparing to welcome back cruise ships but tourists won’t be stepping foot on Garden Island, according to the defence minister.

Using Sydney Harbour’s Garden Island as a port for cruise ships alongside navy vessels is a “bad idea”, according to the federal defence minister.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet responded to the idea that would allow mixed navy and cruise ship use of Garden Island agreeing a “discussion” should be had around the proposal.

But Defence Minister Peter Dutton shut down all talk of allowing commercial vessels to make landfall on Garden Island, which is in full use by the Royal Australian Navy.

Peter Dutton has vetoed a proposal to let cruise ships land at Garden Island. Picture: Alastair Miller

Mr Dutton said on radio Thursday morning that Mr Perrottet was a “great man” but the proposal to share the island was a “bad idea”.

“Great man, bad idea,” Mr Dutton told 2GB‘s Ray Hadley.

“There is significant naval use of (Garden Island) … there’s just not the capability or capacity there to land a cruise ship.”

He added: “We’ll have a polite discussion I’m sure with the NSW government, but I don’t want to spend too much time or resources on the issue because the advice was pretty definite … the answer will be no.”

Peter Dutton said allowing cruise ships to dock at Garden Island was a “bad idea”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said a discussion was needed around docking cruise ships at Garden Island. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Mr Dutton is in lock-step with former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull who vetoed the option of setting up an international cruise terminal at Garden Island in July 2018.

Then-prime minister Turnbull said Garden Island had been a naval base for over a century and “will remain so”.

“I know there are some people that have argued in the cruise ship industry that the naval base should be vacated by the Navy … so that cruise ships can come in,” he said.

“Garden Island is a naval base and the ships of the Royal Australian Navy will always have the priority there, not … cruise ships.”

At the time, Mr Turnbull rejected two options for cruise terminals at the harbour island, leaving two options at Botany Bay to be decided by the NSW government. It comes as former Liberal leader and Navy Reserve Captain Peter Collins headed an inquiry four years ago that recommended Navy and cruise ships share Garden Island.

A cruise ship docked at Sydney Harbour in 2019.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the cruise industry needed Commonwealth clearance before ships could re-enter Sydney Harbour.

“The cruise industry is a very important segment of the travel market and we look forward to the greatest harbour in the world being able to welcome ships from around the world once again when it is safe to do so,” he said.

A report into a proposed­ ­alternative $500 million cruise terminal at Yarra Bay, which is fiercely opposed by locals and the industry, has been put on hold until cruise ships return. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt this week said as single vaccination rates neared 90 per cent health officials were reviewing the order under the Biosecurity Act that banned international cruise ships from Australian waters.

“I expect to be able to make a decision on cruise ships in the coming weeks once we’ve got the medical information but it will require at least one state or territory to partner on that,” he said.