A two-week strike at the Port of Broome has left cruise ships stranded offshore and forced luxury tour operators to ferry passengers by hand as stevedoring and maintenance workers walk off the job over a wage dispute with the Kimberley Ports Authority.
Workers failed to reach an agreement with KPA over wages and conditions last Friday, launching a stoppage that's affecting both of the port's terminals. Two livestock ships and seven cruise boats were scheduled to berth at the KPA port this week, while another 12 vessels were due alongside the adjacent, privately owned floating jetty.
Tourism Industry Bears the Cost
The strike's timing couldn't be worse for small businesses dependent on the region's compressed tourist season. Discovery One Cruises owner Erie Astrup said her crews have been forced to load provisions from the slipway near the wharf instead of relying on stevedores and cranes—a workaround that highlights how labor disputes disrupt far more than the parties directly involved.
"I support the negotiations that are going on but it really does have a huge knock-on effect for the whole community, all the tourism industry, the small businesses," Astrup said. "And that can feel a bit unfair and challenging for many because it's a short tourism season in the Kimberley."
It's unclear how larger cruise boats, due alongside this week with up to 300 people on board, will manage the massive amount of food and fuel required for voyages. The luxury cruiser Le Jacques Cartier had been scheduled to dock at KPA's main wharf on Tuesday morning but remained offshore. Passengers were seen being ferried to the slipway using the ship's tenders.
Ponant Explorations CEO Deb Corbett said the company was making the necessary arrangements to manage Le Jacques Cartier's schedule and would update its guests directly. Shayne Murray, who runs a bus company servicing visiting cruise boats, said the transfers using the slipway were "not ideal." "But it's working well—the tide's in our favour and the easterlies aren't in today," he said.
Wider Economic Ripple Effects
Murray also serves as president of Cruise Broome, an association of industry and volunteers who help promote and manage cruise groups to the town. He noted the strike's cascading impact. "It affects everyone, from the hotels to planes, the people who pay a lot of money for these cruises," he said.
Liberal MLC Neil Thomson called the situation embarrassing in an online post, saying it was "so embarrassing for our state to have people disembarking via the slipway rather than on the new multi-million dollar port facility."
The Union's Position
KPA port workers and their union, the Maritime Union of Australia, have been trying to negotiate a new enterprise agreement since October last year. MUA WA branch secretary Will Tracey said the strike action was justified. "Broome tradesmen are paid the lowest rates for tradesmen at port authorities in the state," he said. "The cost of living has only increased since the last agreement was done and there should be a reflection of that within the Broome area allowance, which compensates for the excessive cost of living across the Kimberley."
In a statement, the KPA said it would continue to meet with employees and the union and "bargain in good faith" to resolve the outstanding items, with the Fair Work Commission now assisting in conciliation. The parties are due to meet again tomorrow.
Why This Matters:
The Broome port strike demonstrates how labor disputes at critical infrastructure choke points can paralyze entire regional economies. Small businesses operating on thin seasonal margins—tour operators, hotels, transport companies—now absorb costs they didn't create and can't control. Tourists who've paid premium prices for luxury cruises are ferried ashore like castaways while a multi-million dollar port facility sits idle. The Fair Work Commission's involvement signals that neither side could resolve this through direct negotiation, extending uncertainty for businesses that depend on predictable port operations. When public infrastructure becomes a bargaining chip, the broader community pays the price.