Premier all but terminates plans for offshore cruise ship terminal on Gold Coast

QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has all but ruled out the need for a cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast.

Mayor Tom Tate is hoping to keep the cruise ship terminal alive offshore at Philip Park, Main Beach. Picture: David Clark

QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has all but ruled out the need for a cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast.

Ms Palaszczuk yesterday said that if plans went ahead to build a $100m cruise shipping terminal for Brisbane at Luggage Point, Pinkenba, there would be no need for a terminal on the Gold Coast.

An artist’s impression of a mega cruise ship terminal capable of hosting the world's biggest ocean liners proposed for Brisbane.

“Once this cruise ship terminal opens up here at Luggage Point, with its proximity that it has to the airport, I think you’ll find that there may not be a need for that second cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast,” she said in answer to a caller on ABC talkback radio.

Ms Palaszczuk said environmental concerns had also been raised about a proposal to build an offshore cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast.

“I believe that there could be some concerns around the environmental impacts of how exactly that would work,” she said.

“That’s for the council to work out.

“If they want to do their business case and submit it to us, then they can.

“I’m not going to say no.

“If the council wants to do their work, let them do their work but I think you’ll find once it opens up here in Brisbane there’s going to be less of a need for it on the Gold Coast, because people will be able to travel down there quite conveniently.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has proposed another version of the Gold Coast Cruise terminal offshore at Philip Park, Main Beach.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the Premier’s comments would not stop the council going ahead with spending $866,000 on feasibility studies to investigate three options on The Spit including Philip Park, the sand-bypassing jetty and the Seaway wall.

“We remain committed to the feasibility study and I look forward to presenting the best option to the State Government once we have that detail early 2017,” he said.

The State Government gave preliminary approval in February for a terminal to be built at Luggage Point, an area better known for its waste water treatment plant.

State Treasurer Curtis Pitt and Port of Brisbane authorities signed a progress deed in May that allowed the Luggage Point project to move to the next stage.

The new agreement set requirements for assessment of the terminal plan under the market-led proposals process.

Ms Palaszczuk said more than 300 cruise ships visited Queensland last year.

“What we have seen in Queensland is this huge increase in the number of cruise ships coming to Queensland,” she said.

“And we are seeing more of the cruise ships going in to places like Gladstone, out of Cairns.’’

She said the Luggage Point proposal had proceeded to the second stage in assessment.

“I’m very confident that that one’s going to get off the ground. I’m very confident but we need to let them do that job,” she said.

Projections estimate the new terminal would bring in 1.8 million passengers and 1100 ships in its first five years and triple Brisbane’s cruise-ship industry output within 20 years.

A new mega cruise ship terminal capable of hosting the world's biggest ocean liners looks set to sail into Brisbane after the Port of Brisbane unveiled details of a $100 million proposal, to be built on land at Luggage Point near the mouth of the river.

Opposition tourism spokesman Jon Krause said Ms Palaszczuk’s comments were a blow for the Gold Coast and its tourism sector.

“It is abundantly clear the Premier never supported the Gold Coast cruise ship terminal proposal,

despite saying she did for the cameras,” he said.

“It seems the Palaszczuk Labor Government is doing everything in its power to destroy the tourism industry on the Gold Coast.

“It has brought in the job-destroying lockout laws, it will allow bikies to rule the streets once again and now Labor has delivered a mortal blow for the Gold Coast cruise ship terminal proposal and with it, the thousands of associated jobs.”

Ms Palaszczuk said the Gold Coast would be one of the major beneficiaries of the Government’s Cross River Rail Project, due for completion in 2022.

“The biggest infrastructure project for us at the moment is the Cross River Rail Project because what that does is it actually opens up more capacity from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast,” she said.

Save Our Spit spokesman Darren Crawford said the group welcomed the Premier’s comments.

Luggage Point, Pinkenba. Photo: Philip Norrish

He said the Luggage Point proposal would provide a great boost for tourism on the Coast.

“The key is Luggage Point is market-led,” he said.

“Our research shows areas such as the Gold Coast Hinterland and Scenic Rim can all benefit from tourists disembarking at Luggage Point.

“The bonus is that we’re not destroying public land or our environment to do so.”

He said the mayor’s decision to proceed with feasibility studies was a waste of time and ratepayers’ money that showed the oceanside terminal proposals were not what they seemed.

“This whole thing has been about grabbing public land to build a casino and integrated resort development on public land, and has been from day one,” he said.

“The cruise industry won’t use it, so we have to ask, why is ratepayers’ money still being wasted?”