| Tehan pledges Jun cruise ban review

MINISTER for Tourism Dan Tehan has confirmed the current health advice, which bans the operation of foreign-flagged cruise ships in Australian waters, will be reviewed this month.

Speaking yesterday at a Future of Travel industry forum hosted on Sydney Harbour by News Corp Australia, Tehan backed the cruise sector, saying “it would be wonderful to get more cruise ships operating around Australia, and also taking into account the bubble we’ve got in operation with New Zealand, also seeing cruise ships operating between Australia and New Zealand”.

However Tehan deferred to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), which comprises all state and territory Chief Medical Officers.

“That’s a panel set up to advise the Government through this pandemic, and it’s one of the reasons we’re in such a strong position as we are today,” he said.

“They’ve given advice on the cruise industry, now that advice will be reviewed towards the midpoint of Jun,” Tehan added.

“My hope is that 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 Australia and New Zealand as well.”

The Minister said he looked forward to working with the cruise industry over the coming weeks “to continue to increase cruising here in Australia”.

“It will help the airlines, it will help the wonderful holiday destinations that we have around Australia where the cruise ships stop,” he added.

“So to me, it’s something we should be looking at, and so I look forward to working with the cruise industry as the next decisions are made by our medical expert panel.”

The current Biosecurity Emergency Declaration, which bans foreign passenger shipping in Australian waters, is set to expire on 17 Jun, just over two weeks from today.