It was only in April Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate reaffirmed his commitment to building the new cruise ship terminal at The Spit on the Gold Coast, but with the virus having a detrimental effect on the industry, a shadow of doubt has been cast over the plans for one of Australia’s future ports.
Currently, Australia has 33 ports spread throughout 10 major locations, and with the hope of the future cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast, not only will accessibility to the Sunshine Coast be increased, but also a boost in tourism in the northern part of Australia.
Concerns were growing for months with opponents calling for the cruise-terminal money to be spent elsewhere to help the city recover, and that a cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast would not be viable with the virus having such a strong impact on the tourism industry.
Last week Mayor Tom Tate vowed to halt further funding going into his controversial $650 million offshore cruise ship terminal project, along with the announcement from Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick that two new redevelopment projects have been awarded for the popular recreation area.
Treasurer Cameron Dick committed $5 million to create new public spaces at the northern end of The Spit.
The new public spaces will include a promenade and viewing platform, new seating and viewing areas, fresh landscaping, new picnic tables, fountains, and beach showers, with 360-degree views from the Broadwater through to Surfers Paradise, Moondarewa Spit will benefit from the local construction development economically and socially.
When asked about the cruise ship terminal, the Treasurer raised doubts, “I think it’s very challenging, to be honest, with the global economy the way it is,” he said.
“It’s very hard, particularly for people to travel internationally. That’s just the truth at the moment, so we just have to see how it stacks up. “It would need to stack up economically and environmentally, in particular, for it to proceed.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said that it’s currently unclear whether the cruise ship terminal will go ahead, and questions how the cruise ship industry would recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s too early to know the full extent of the impact that COVID-19 has had on the cruise industry and how long it will take to recover,” he said. “So, while I still see a cruise ship terminal in our future, now is not the time to be aggressively pursuing this.”
Treasurer said a final decision will be made within 12-18 months by the Coordinator-General.
