CRUISE HOPES SINK Palaszczuk backs Brisbane terminal but Tate will fight on
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 $100 million cruise shipping terminal for Brisbane at Luggage Point, Pinkenba, there would be no need for a terminal on the Gold Coast.
“Once this cruise ship terminal opens up here at Luggage Point … I think you’ll find there may not be a need for that second cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast,” she told a caller on ABC 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 there could be 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.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the Premier’s comments would not stop council going ahead with spending $866,000 on feasibility studies to investigate three options on The Spit: Philip Park, the sandbypassing 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 in early 2017,” Cr Tate said.
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 here,” she said.
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,” 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.
Opposition tourism spokesman Jon Krause said Ms Palaszczuk’s comments were a blow for the Gold Coast.
“It is 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 jobdestroying 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.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the Gold Coast would be one of the major beneficiaries of the Government’s Cross River Rail Project, due for 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 welcomed the Premier’s comments.
He said the Luggage Point proposal would provide a great boost for tourism on the Coast.
“Research shows areas such as the Gold Coast Hinterland and Scenic Rim can benefit from tourists disembarking at Luggage Point,” he said.
“The bonus is we’re not destroying public land or our environment to do so.”