BY MEGHAN RICHARDSON

The state government has attracted criticism after refusing to support the development of the world-class cruise ship terminal in the Port of Newcastle.

The original development was announced in 2016 with a $12.7 million dollar budget allocated for construction.

The Liberal Government has now backed out of their promise to fund the first-class cruise port.

Newcastle MP, Tim Crakanthorp pushed for a motion calling on the Government to reverse its decision to withdraw funding.

The motion was narrowly defeated with a vote of 47- 45.

The cruise ship terminal promised to bring in thousands of tourists into Newcastle and the Hunter.

It was theorised it could add a significant boost to local businesses and assist the struggling Newcastle economy

Mr Crakanthorp  claims Government MPs are being hypocritical by refusing to support the Newcastle terminal while boasting about pork-barrelling funding for their own electorates.

“This Government has spent $55 million dollars on the port of Eden,” Mr Crakanthorp claimed. “Yet when we want some money here in Newcastle, the second largest city in the state, for the same thing, we are rejected when we request that little bit more than that 12.7 million dollars”

He says the people of Newcastle are fed up with the Government’s unfair treatment.

“I’m constantly being contacted by local people who are very unhappy about this government and their inability to facilitate a cruise ship terminal in Newcastle,” Mr Crankanthorp says.

Mr Crankanthorp says he will keep pushing the state government but for now the possibility of a world-class cruise ship terminal for Newcastle seems dead in the water.




The scrapped designs for the terminal released in 2017