Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland is set to welcome its first dedicated mega-cruise ship terminal with construction set to commence on the Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd’s (PBPL) $158 million Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point on the north side of the Brisbane River.
The Premier said the Cruise Terminal would support 245 jobs each year through construction and was the second Market-Led Proposal to advance to the delivery phase, following in the footsteps of the $512 million Logan Motorway Enhancement Project currently under construction.
“Cruising is one of tourism’s great growth stories, for both international and domestic markets,” the Premier said.
“A dedicated, purpose-built cruise ship terminal will boost our international reputation as a global tourism destination of choice.
“It will serve as a catalyst to supercharge growth in our tourism sector and related industries and generate jobs now and into the future.”
Site preparation works will start in November, with construction of the wharf to begin mid-next year, and construction of the terminal to begin in around 12 months
The terminal building itself will be around 9,300 square metres set over two levels and connected to a 200m long wharf, with two air bridges facilitating the movement of passengers on and off the ships.
There will also be public open spaces, parking for cars and buses plus extensive landscaping across the site.
Treasurer Curtis Pitt welcomed the progression of the Port of Brisbane’s cruise terminal Market Led Proposal and said it’s a great example of private sector innovation in action to deliver much needed cruise shipping infrastructure.
It’s very encouraging to see modelling by the Port of Brisbane which indicates the terminal could inject up to $1.3 billion in net expenditure into the Brisbane economy over the next two decades.
“The new cruise terminal is also a jobs generator and is set to support an average of 245 jobs a year over its two-year construction period and will deliver many more jobs through increased economic activity,” Mr Pitt said.
“Once the terminal is operational it is expected the additional cruise ships stopping in Brisbane could continue their journey up the coast to destinations like Cairns and give visitors the opportunity to visit other iconic destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef.
“The economic investment will bring broader benefits to the state economy through increased opportunities for tourism operators and other sectors like agriculture and our services industry.“
“To date, eight proposals have been approved or have moved to Stage 2, the preparation of detailed proposals stage and the MLPs approved or in the detailed assessment stage are worth just more than $1 billion and are estimated to generate around 1,800 jobs.”
Tourism Minister Kate Jones said an international cruise terminal would serve as an important piece of transport infrastructure not just for South East Queensland but for the whole state.
“It will bring an increased number of cruise ships and more tourists to the state,” Ms Jones said.
“It will also safeguard the existing 1,250 jobs related to the cruise industry in Brisbane and add 49 operational jobs on average each year over the next 20 years as the industry grows.
PBPL CEO, Roy Cummins said should the project receive ACCC approval, the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal would prove to be a defining piece of the State’s tourism infrastructure network.
“This new cruise terminal will secure the future of cruise tourism in South-east Queensland and help bring the world’s biggest cruise ships to Brisbane,” Mr Cummins said.
“We have worked with the State Government, through its Market-led Proposal process, and other partners including Brisbane City Council and the cruise operators, to make this happen, and we thank all parties for their support and their commitment to our project.
“Port of Brisbane is investing $158 million to deliver a world-class facility for our world-class city.
“Our focus has been to develop a proposal that supports the cruise industry and delivers a great passenger experience, and we are now going to get on with the hard work of building it.
“It means jobs during construction and jobs for the broader tourism sector for decades to come.
“Port of Brisbane is committed to delivering the best possible economic and tourism outcomes for the cruise industry and Queensland.
“It is an exciting opportunity and we look forward to working with all project partners as we now move into this next phase.”
SOURCE: Queensland Government
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