The NSW Government’s decision to reject a proposal for a mega cruise ship terminal at Yarra Bay is a win for people power and common sense, Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said today Friday 26 May 2023.

Mayor Parker welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement that they would not support or approve plans for a cruise ship terminal in Yarra Bay on the northern shores of Botany Bay.

The proposal has been a dark cloud hanging over the local community since it was first mooted in 2018 as a potential location to dock mega-sized cruise ships visiting Sydney.

“The NSW Government is to be commended on their common-sense decision to send this ridiculous proposal packing,” Mayor Parker said.

“Building a cruise ship terminal at Yarra Bay would have been catastrophic for our local community and the environment.

“Yarra Bay is a sensitive ecological environment with some very rare and threatened coral species. It is a place of cultural sensitivity for local Aboriginal communities as well as being a popular recreational destination for tens of thousands of Sydneysiders.

“Yarra Bay was always a terrible idea for an international cruise ship terminal. Visitors don’t come to Sydney to dock next to an international port and fuels terminal - they want to have the iconic experience of entering through Sydney heads and seeing the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

“Randwick Council has fought this tooth and nail alongside our local State MP Michael Daley and Federal MP Matt Thistlethwaite.

“I would particularly like to commend our local community, particularly the Save Yarra Bay group for their ongoing work to preserve and protect this special place,” Mayor Dylan Parker said.