Just how can the Gold Coast cruise ship be funded and at what cost

LNP leader Deb Frecklington has announced the party supports a cruise ship terminal for the Gold Coast. But where do the Libs think it should be built?

Mayor Tom Tate with the oceanside cruise ship terminal site at Philip Park. Pic by David Clark

CAMERON Dick has returned fire in the cruise ship terminal debate — demanding the LNP provide a location and cost for a future port facility on the Gold Coast.

Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek during Question Time in state parliament today targeted the State Development Minister, asking Mr Dick for the government’s position on the planned terminal at The Spit.

Mr Langbroek referred to comments by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that a Coast terminal may not be needed with the opening of the Brisbane international port in 2020.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick at parliament. (AAP Image/Richard Waugh)

GET FULL DIGITAL ACCESS FOR 50C A DAY

When Mr Dick last week released new vision in the lead-up to the Brisbane terminal’s 2020 opening he admitted “we have not formed a view either way” on a Coast terminal.

Mr Langbroek in Question Time asked him: “Will the Minister back the Gold Coast City Council’s plan to build a cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast?”

Mr Dick said the proposed oceanside cruise ship terminal was a project of the Gold Coast City Council and needed to “stack up environmentally and economically”.

“The Port of Brisbane had to make the international cruise ship terminal to stack up in order for it to proceed. The same approach will apply to the Gold Coast City Council’s proposal,” he said.

The proposed site for the Coast terminal at Philip Park. Picture: David Clark

Mr Dick declined to give his personal position, rather talking up the benefits of The Spit master plan which essentially rules out options at the Seaway end and on Wavebreak Island.

“What do they actually want. Do they support — do they support privatising Doug Jennings Park, which (former Deputy Premier) Jeff Seeney put on the table in 2012,” Mr Dick said.

“Do they support turning Wavebreak Island into a canal estate, as Jeff Seeney wanted to do in 2014? Or do they support no development north of Sea World which was the position of the Member for Surfers Paradise (Mr Langbroek) in 2004?

“They have had more positions on the Spit than Prime Ministers and that’s saying something. “So we have a clean and unequivocal position — we’ll let the master plan go forward, we got options for the community there but the master plan for The Spit will be delivered.”

Mr Dick then took aim at LNP leader Deb Frecklington, who in a report in The Bulletin today announced her support for a CST on the Coast.

Flashback - Jeff Seeney, Verity Barton and Rob Molhoek before a press conference on the cruise ship terminal, at Harley Park Labrador. Picture Glenn Hampson

“She’s got everyone on the Gold Coast out with ideas but she says absolutely nothing. Except she said in the paper, we will build one. So where are you going to build it and how much will it cost,” he said.

Consultant reports suggest the project could cost at least $463 million and as high as $526 million with a second berth.

Part of that project development phase will be to determine how much a private sector financier “would be willing to take on demand risk”.

Councillors in March were told that cost could be as high as $650 million pending how much a private sector financier “would be willing to take on demand risk”.