Jervis Bay community win: Cruise ships won’t dock on south coast
The battle to keep a NSW south coast marine paradise free from cruise ships has come to an end. Here’s the latest.
The South Coast News
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The fight to stop cruise ships from docking in a NSW south coast marine paradise has been successful, with the state government revealing why cruise ship companies will need to find somewhere else.
The announcement came from NSW Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe and South Coast MP, Liza Butler, who visited Huskisson on Thursday morning after years of community campaigning against a proposal to have cruise ships port in the popular coastal hamlet.
“Following strong advocacy from the south coast community, the NSW Government has made the decision to rule out any plans to make the Jervis Bay Marine Park a port for cruise ships,” Ms Sharpe said.
The announcement comes after years of campaigning from community groups, such as the Jervis Bay Community Cruise Ship Coalition (JBCCC), which was against cruise ships docking in Jervis Bay because of negative environmental factors.
A draft Marine Park Management plan for Jervis Bay was previously released, detailing how cruise ships could port in the area.
Cruise ship companies also expressed major interest in docking at Jervis Bay.
A spokesman for JBCCC previously said cruise ships would damage the marine environment, labelling the draft Marine Park Management Plan as inadequate.
“We are extremely disappointed that the management plan is not underpinned by a current status report on NSW Marine Parks,” he said.
“No information has been provided to the community or industry as to how healthy our marine parks are, and how effectively the past management has been in achieving the primary purpose of marine parks.”
The spokesman said cruise ships docking anywhere in Jervis Bay would lead to pollution issues.
“The clean-up of any accident associated with these ships would inevitably be met by the Australian taxpayer as it takes years to get foreign operatives to accept responsibility,” he said.
Years later, the fight has come to an end.
Meeting with campaigners at Huskisson on Thursday morning, Mrs Sharpe explained why the government came to the decision.
“The risk of environmental damage is just too high, and we thank locals for their many years of campaigning to protect this marine wonder,” she said.
While cruise ships will not be permitted to dock in Jervis Bay for tourism reasons, they will still be permitted to dock in an emergency.
Other recommendations made in the new draft NSW Mainland Marine Park Network Management Plan are still being considered, with the plan being revealed in the coming months.
Mrs Butler said today’s announcement was a “win” for all.
“This is a win for south coast communities and the precious Jervis Bay Marine Park we are so proud of,” she said.
“We have listened to concerns about environmental and social impacts on Jervis Bay Marine Park and our region and will ensure this precious area is protected into the future.”
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