Taking a National Outlook

THERE has been much discussion this week around the ongoing berthing issues in Sydney.

ACA will continue to work with all parties on the studies around developing Botany Bay as the next feasible port solution.

Most importantly, we need to recognise in any discussions around Australia’s growth in the cruise industry globally, that all our ports are intrinsically linked and it is inappropriate for us to look at any one destination in isolation.

SA for example recently delivered its cruise strategy and it includes a target of 100 cruise ship visits by 2020 - an economic injection of $200 million into South Australia’s economy.

This is more than doable if everyone works together.

On a local level, regional ports like Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln need to work with the major capital city hub in Adelaide.

To implement successful multistate itineraries, we need to ensure all the states across southern Australia - Victoria,

WA and Tasmania – are working cohesively with South Australia. And most critically, for long-haul itineraries to work, Australia’s gateway ports like Sydney need to function effectively.

So when we sit down at future meetings to discuss berthing issues in Sydney we need to understand that this has a huge flow on effect around Australia being considered as a viable cruise destination.

I am confident we can solve this current challenge so we can support our national cruise industry to succeed well into the future.