Sydney Harbour is not just a beautiful stretch of water to be admired for it's scenery. It is this nation's prime "working harbour "and in recent times it has become the home of the fast growing cruise ship industry. Not only do Australian's increasingly take holidays on the water, a vast form of International travel is bringing tourists to our shores - and they spend a lot of money during the time they are in our city.
The $ 57 million White Bay Cruise ship terminal is the focal point of this trade. This year saw 170 ship movements and booking for the 2014-15 season indicate that there will be an increase to 290 ship visits. This is a fast turnaround operation with ships at the wharf for just a few hours as they discharge passengers, restock with everything from bunker fuel, food and beverages - and embark those booked for the outward journey. On any day that a cruise ship is in port a whole range of businesses - from taxis, the pub and restaurant trade, ship providores, tourist amenities - all do a roaring business, employ a lot of people - and make money !
It seems that the council in which White Bay is located is hell bent on closing down this shipping terminal. They are organizing massive banners to express their views and trying to incite the NIMBY reaction of the residents who would prefer Leichhardt to be a peaceful backwater of a residential suburb, not troubled by crass commercialism - and all these excited holidaymakers told to go someplace else to leave and board ships.
The biggest whinge from this council is that the ship's run their engines for the entire time they are in port. The cruise ship industry explains that this is necessary to generate the power needed to keep the lights burning in the ship's dark interior, run the refrigerated food storage areas and power the huge range of facilities that are an integral part of a comfortable cruise liner. The reason they do this - is because there is no ship to shore power source at the White Bay terminal.
The council points the finger at the exhaust discharge. They claim that this is a dangerous form of pollution and that the citizens who live in Leichardt are exposed to fine particles that may ruin their health. Their answer is to simply ban the ships from their taxpayer funded wharf terminal - and send them elsewhere.
Of course it would not require a brain capable of winning a Nobel prize for intelligence to figure out a way to resolve this problem ! Many may wonder how White Bay came to be developed as a cruise ship terminal without a ship to shore power source being automatically included in the specification - but be that as it may - rectification is only a matter of laying a few cables and establishing a junction facility.
There is some very unhealthy thinking being directed at the essence of what makes the port of Sydney an integral part of the Australian economy. Some would call it an extension of the "Canberra "complex. It seems to manifest itself in a rejection of all forms of commerce and it's replacement by a form of ethereal beauty - which completely ignores the reality of life.
We are seeing the trade in goods inward and outward quietly becoming unwelcome in the port of Sydney and being transferred to either Botany Bay or Port Kembla. The oil storage facilities and our last remaining distilleries are closing down or being relocated. It seems that the days of Sydney being a "working port "are numbered, and even the cruise ship industry is now being branded unwelcome.
The last thing we need is to see Sydney become a replica of Canberra. A city without any form of industry - except politics ! We had better get moving and install a ship to shore power source at White Bay - and keep those cruise ship movements growing because it is commercial activity that provides the jobs that deliver the pay packets we so desperately need.
That fable about killing the goose that lays golden eggs comes to mind !
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