Cruising in Australia high on tourism agenda: minister

A decision on allowing foreign-flagged cruise ships to sail in Australian waters could come by mid-June, federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan says.

Coral Expeditions' ship Coral Adventurer. Picture: Isaac Forman

A decision on allowing foreign-flagged cruise ships to sail in Australian waters could come by mid-June, federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan says.

Speaking at the Future of Travel forum hosted by News Corp in Sydney, Mr Tehan said the government was taking advice on cruise operations from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and would review its position in a matter of weeks.

It would be “wonderful to get more cruise ships operating around Australia”, he said.

“My hope is if we can continue managing the pandemic like we are, we will be able to see more cruise ships being able to ply our waters and hopefully ply the waters between New Zealand and Australia as well.”

He said he was looking forward to working with the cruise industry as the next decision was made by the medical expert panel. “It will help the airlines, it will help the wonderful holiday destinations … where cruise ships stop. To me, it’s something we should be looking at.”

Currently, only one sizeable operator, Cairns-based Coral Expeditions, is sailing itineraries with Australian-only passengers on board, all of whom have tested negative to Covid-19.

Cruise lines such as French company Ponant and APT, which also operate exploration-style vessels, have reported high demand for voyages in places such as the Kimberley, but are yet to gain approval to enter Australian waters.

On the issue of border closures, Mr Tehan defended the rights of states and territories to shut up shop because of a Covid outbreak, but he hoped in Victoria’s latest lockdown, experts would consider the repercussions carefully. “My hope would be that they look at the outcome and look at the result and really decide whether it was necessary to take that lockdown beyond greater Melbourne … because there’s no doubt that has impacted confidence right across the state.”

He also said he was hoping to be able to expand the New Zealand travel bubble to include the Pacific Islands.