Kevin Rudd’s plan to move the Garden Island naval base north has found support in the tourism industry.
A re-elected Labor government will appoint a top-level defence committee to examine how to move the navy's main east coast base from Sydney to Brisbane by 2030, the prime minister announced today.
"It would help open up Garden Island for the possibility of exiting new uses such as greater public green spaces on Sydney’s foreshore, appropriate heritage protection, as well as possibly providing berths for the burgeoning cruise ship industry as a further boon to Sydney's economy," Mr Rudd said.
Tourism Task Force Deputy Chief Executive Trent Zimmerman said the cruise industry welcomed the announcement.
"Tourists want to visit this magnificent harbour, the most beautiful harbour in the world. What would be a disaster for tourism is if we effectively put up a no vacancy sign at North Head, during the peak of the cruise ship industry," he said.
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"Sydney Harbour desperately needs new and better cruise ship facilities, and Garden Island is the only realistic option."
But NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell today rejected the plan, saying it was a knee-jerk reaction to poor polls.
"We stand to lose 4000 direct jobs all because we have a federal political leader so spooked by the polls he'll do anything," Mr O’Farrell said.
The government's plan would be to shift the operations from Sydney and divide it between Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Perth.
Watch: the full report above.
