Brisbane's new cruise ship terminal gets the green light

Brisbane will have a new cruise ship terminal at the mouth of the Brisbane River capable of taking the largest cruise ships in the world by late 2019 after it was given the green light on Wednesday.

The new terminal to be built at Luggage Point was immediately hailed as the "new frontier" for cruise ship tourism in Queensland by Treasurer Curtis Pitt.

"This is going to help ports right up and down the coast and cruise shipping is the next frontier in terms of tourism," Mr Pitt said.

More than 320 cruise ships berthed in Brisbane in 2016 and the industry is tipped to be a major growth centre as Queensland’s international tourism figures increase.

After almost 18 months of negotiations, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Treasurer Curtis Pitt and Tourism Minister Kate Jones travelled to the Port of Brisbane to formally announce the Queensland government had given the $158 million project approval to start.

Latest artists impressions of Brisbane's $150 million new cruise ship terminal

"We are going to see a doubling in the number of cruise ships coming into Queensland," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"This is a great story for the Queensland economy, but it is also a great sign of the government being able to work with the private sector," she said.

During construction 245 jobs will be created and a smaller number of people will be employed to operate the new cruise ship terminal.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said planners predicted 275,000 tourists would disembark each year after the terminal was completed.

What and when?

• Work at Luggage Point begins November 2017
• Wharf construction begins mid-2018
• Terminal construction begins October 2018
• Terminal is 9300 square metres over two levels
• Connected to ships with two 'air bridges'
• large viewing areas over ships entering the port
• waste at nearby Luggage Point waste facility will be dosed by magnesium hydroxide to neutralise odours.

The cruise ship terminal has been driven by the private sector – mainly by cruise ship companies Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruises as a partnership with the Port of Brisbane Authority.

It had been checked and monitored by Queensland Treasury as an idea from the private sector in what was described as a “market-led” proposal.

In February much of the project was confirmed as Royal Caribbean International brought one of the world’s largest cruise liners into the Port of Brisbane to dock.

That month Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Leeanne Enoch toured the $1.3 billion, 347-metre long Ovation of the Seas, which stopped in Brisbane for the first time.

One of many pools on the pool deck of Royal Caribbean's 374-metre long Ovation of the Seas, which is the largest cruise ship in Australia.Credit: Chris Hyde

On Wednesday morning Ms Palaszczuk said work would start in November.

"Preliminary work will start next month," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"Within two years we will be seeing ships more than 300 metres being able to come right into the port of Brisbane," she said.

"This is great news for tourism jobs and great news for the cruise sector."

Queensland Premier Annastacia Pazlaszczuk, Treasurer Curtis Pitt and Tourism Minister Kate Jones announce Brisbane's new cruise ship terminal will go ahead.Credit: AAP

Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the project was a private sector intiative.

"This is a $158 million private sector investment, facilitated by the Queensland Government, working to grow our Queensland economy," he said.

Unlike the existing facilities at Hamilton, the new terminal will be able to berth the largest cruise ships now being built.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the cruise ship sector of Queensland tourism industry was the fastest growing section of Queensland's tourism market.

"Queensland  had more cruise ships last year than any other state and I believe  this first-ever mega cruise ship terminal will be a game changer for the Queensland tourism industry going into the future."

Opposition Treasurer Scott Emerson questioned why only two projects - the cruise ship terminal and the Logan Motorway enhancement - had emerged from the market-led proposal pipeline after almost three years.

“We know more than 100 projects have been put forward by the private sector under Labor’s MLP process," he said.

"Just two have made it out the other end." 

Treasurer Curtis Pitt said eight projects were being seriously considered.

Meanwhile Port of Brisbane chairman Jerry Maycock said the $158 million investment was part of $500 million that had been invested in Brisbane's port since large infrastructure investors linked with the Port of Brisbane in 2010.

"And we've got plans for  a further $600 million to be invested over the next five years," Mr Maycock said.

The Brisbane City Council has agreed to fast-track roadworks, community infrastructure and parklands around Luggage Point as part of the project.

Lord mayor Graham Quirk had previously promised the work would start in early 2018.