A two-year ban on cruise ships is poised to end in mid-April, with the Tourism Minister declaring a formal announcement is expected within days.
Dan Tehan said the federal government was just awaiting the final tick of approval from the states, which are finalising health protocols.
“We have agreed, in the next day, we are going to get all the work necessary, so hopefully on Wednesday we can announce that April 17 is the day that cruising can begin again,” he told Sky News.
“We now see absolutely no reason why we can't make that formal announcement now that we have NSW, and I am pretty sure we are going to have Queensland on-board.”
Cruise ships have been banned from Australian ports since the Covid-19 pandemic began two years ago.
The ban on foreign-flagged ships was imposed in March 2020 after the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney, causing the spread of Covid-19 across the country. An inquiry linked 900 Covid cases and 28 deaths to the ship.
Mr Tehan said he had been “pushing” for the resumption of cruising for a couple of months, but the states had put a handbrake on its return.
“The commonwealth wants to go. We’ve been ready to go now for a number of weeks,” the minister said.
“Because the states run the ports, we need their tick off. And they’re working with their health officials.
“But from what I heard yesterday from the NSW Premier, he must be very confident that his health officials are ready to give us the green light.
“If that’s the case, there‘s no reason why we can’t be up and running in a matter of months.”
