Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator very much for the question in relation to cruise ships. Since the 14th of last month, the government has assisted in more than 6,400 Australians disembarking and returning to Australia from 45 cruise ships across the world with multiple charter and commercial flights. I want to thank the cruise industry and acknowledge their cooperation and their work in that outcome.

To give a few examples, more than 200 Australians arrived from the United States yesterday after disembarking from the Zaandam, the Rotterdam and the Coral Princess cruise ships. More than 260 Australians from the Costa Luminosa and the Costa Victoria arrived in Perth from Italy on 30 March. And today 288 Australians who had been on the Norwegian Jewel have now finished their 14-day quarantine after returning to Australia.

These outcomes have required significant amounts of patient diplomacy from DFAT, and again I thank those officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for managing the highly complex operations. (Time expired)