Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

The decision to put White Bay cruise ship terminal next to a residential area in Balmain was made by New South Wales Labor. The New South Wales coalition government is taking action. By 1 January 2020, all ships docked at Australian ports must comply with much stricter pollution controls when docked in port. A revised international agreement will provide much stricter limits on air pollutants contained in ship exhaust gas, including sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides, and prohibit deliberate emissions of ozone-depleting substances. By 2020, all ships docked at White Bay will be required to implement new measures to reduce the sulfur cap in fuel from 3.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent. The Commonwealth government congratulates the New South Wales Minister for the Environment, Rob Stokes, for commencing consultations with the cruise industry to bring forward new measures ahead of 1 January 2020. The Commonwealth government supports stronger action to improve air quality, including actions by the cruise ship industry to introduce measures ahead of 2020 to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from cruise liners docked at ports near residential areas. (Time expired)