| CLIA update 02 June 21

WITH Joel Katz, MD CLIA Australasia – Welcome signs of progress: Tourism Minister Dan Tehan’s comments that Australia’s cruise suspension could be reviewed in coming weeks (CW yesterday) is a welcome sign of progress after months of discussions between the cruise industry and the Aus Govt.
His statement that it would be
“wonderful to get more cruise ships
operating around Australia” shows
the government is now more willing
to acknowledge the importance of
cruising and that it is increasingly
aware of the impact the cruise
suspension is having on Australian
jobs.
This comes after a concerted
campaign by CLIA and our
industry’s supporters to make MPs
aware of the size and significance of
the Australian cruise community.
So far, almost 40,000 messages
have been sent to State and Federal
MPs as part of our Ready Set
Sail campaign, and the numbers
continue to grow.
But there’s still much to overcome
– our industry needs a clear
framework for resumption, not just
from the federal government but
also supported by the states.
While international borders
remain closed, we need an
opportunity to bring ships safely
into an Australian bubble so we
can begin domestic operations
for Australian residents and help
rebuild economic opportunities.