The federal government will soon release the outcome of an inquiry into whether the navy should allow more big cruise ships to dock at its Sydney Harbour naval base.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith says he received the review, conducted by former defence department secretary Dr Alan Hawke, at the start of this month.
"The review assesses whether there is scope for a more flexible approach that balances Navy's needs with cruise industry requirements to secure advanced berth bookings for cruise ships visiting Sydney Harbour," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Mr Smith launched the review in June last year and its findings will be released soon.
Mr Smith said the Navy currently considered requests for berth bookings for cruise ships visiting Sydney Harbour, based on extended notice and a limited number of visits per year.
He said Queen Mary 2, the biggest cruise liner to visit Australia, was currently docked at Garden Island with Navy's approval.
Moves for greater access by cruise liners to the desirably located navy base have the strong backing of the NSW government.
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said in June the cruise ship industry contributed around $3 billion annually to the Australian economy but NSW was missing out due to a lack of port infrastructure for big liners in Sydney.
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