George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am fortunate to have in my electorate what some would consider the finest tourist destination in the world—and that is, the Whitsundays. World-class attractions include the Great Barrier Reef and its prolific marine life; Conway National Park and its unique Australian wildlife; the 74 islands in the Whitsundays, some with resorts; and the beaches, including the spectacular white sand at Whitehaven Beach, voted the best beach in Australia and consistently ranking in the top five beaches in the world.

Rapidly becoming a major tourist attraction in its own right is the Abell Point Marina. Yesterday the Abell Point Marina became the first marina in the world to be awarded the five gold anchor accreditation from the Marina Industries Association, acting in their capacity as partner of the global gold anchor marina accreditation scheme. The gold anchor scheme operates somewhat like the five-star rating system for hotels. The new system places greater emphasis on customer experience. I note that the Marina Industries Association representative, Colin Bransgrove, said this yesterday:

Abell Point Marina is a fitting recipient to be presented with the first accreditation under the Global Gold Anchor Scheme. It epitomises what Gold Anchor stands for: a focus on the customer experience, quality services and facilities and an enduring commitment to continuous improvement.

Locals in the Whitsundays will attest to the transformation of the Abell Point Marina in recent times. Entrepreneur Paul Darrouzet acquired the marina in 2013 and spent some $12 million upgrading both its on-water and shore-side facilities and services. Some of the improvements at Abell Point Marina include demolishing the old marina office and building new ocean side facilities; refurbishing the village buildings; creating an additional 250-space car park, bus lanes, new restaurants, two marina helipads and a multifunction event facility for weddings, conventions and conferences; dredging the marina to increase deepwater access for marine tourism; and developing a 15,000 square metre park to host and attract festivals, markets and events. It is indeed a world-class facility for a world-class location.

The investment is already paying dividends for the local economy. From 2014 to 2015, Abell Point Marina saw an increase of 53 per cent in berthing nights for superyachts, which are vessels that are over 24 metres. This year it has seen a further 25 per cent growth in berthing nights, with a resulting 35 per cent increase in revenue. The length of stay has increased by 10 per cent. The largest catamaran in the Southern Hemisphere berthed at Abell Point Marina last year. The impact that superyachts have on the local Whitsundays economy cannot be overestimated. Every week a superyacht is in port, it contributes about $50,000 to the local economy.

Mr Darrouzet and many members of the local tourism and business community appreciate the massive impact that even a handful of superyachts can have on the local economy and local jobs. It was unusual that such a highly regarded destination as the Whitsundays did not already have a thriving superyacht industry, but there were, and still are, significant hurdles to overcome. Some work still needs to be done.

One major disincentive was a multimillion dollar, one-off tax hit just to bring in a superyacht and charter for a week. However, discussions that I had with the then minister for transport, Warren Truss, meant that this issue was resolved with the same exemption that now applies to cruise ships. The other major hurdle has been the plan of management for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and a large number of latent permits—that is, permits that were issued but were not being used—meaning that the real number of visitors to various locations did not necessarily reflect the number of visitors technically allowed. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has agreed to a full review of the plan of management for the area, looking at permits and latent permits with a view to maximising the benefits for the area and minimising the impact.

I look forward to having this hurdle cleared, because a flourishing superyacht industry in the Whitsundays would provide the most benefit with the least impact on the natural environment. Although these vessels are quite large, at more than 24 metres, they carry very few passengers—perhaps only two or three with half a dozen crew. The Whitsundays is one of the finest natural environments in the world. The world loves the Whitsundays and want to visit it. It has been great to see the growth and development of Abell Point Marina through the vision of Mr Darrouzet and the hard work of his general manager, Luke McCaul, and their team.