A new nationally integrated approach to freight and supply chains
12 August 2019
Australian
transport ministers today agreed to the National Freight and Supply
Chain Strategy, positioning Australia to meet unprecedented
freight and
supply chain demands over the next 20 years.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and
Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Strategy and its
associated National Action Plan, developed by all Australian governments
with extensive industry input, will integrate the different transport
modes for the first time.
“Australian freight supply chains get petrol to our service stations,
fresh food to our supermarket shelves, waste to the tip, construction
materials to building sites and essential pharmaceuticals to our
hospitals – delivering about 163 tonnes of freight per person around the
country each year,” Mr McCormack said.
“With our freight volumes expected to grow by more than a third by 2040
and online shopping growth at over 20 per cent a year, we need to
increase the productivity of our freight system. At the same time, we
have to plan for and manage the introduction of new technologies and
risks from increasing natural disasters, such as the devastating floods
in Queensland last year.
“To meet these challenges, the Strategy commits to national action in
four critical areas: smarter and targeted infrastructure investment;
improving supply chain efficiency; better planning, coordination and
regulation; and better freight location and performance data.
“The Strategy’s governance arrangements provide a mechanism to ratchet
up action and ambition from all governments and industry over time in
order to lift the performance of the freight system. Jurisdictions will
report back to the COAG Transport and Infrastructure Council in November
with their implementation arrangements for delivering the Strategy.”
Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz
said the success of the Strategy would rely on the ability of
governments and industry to work together during its implementation.
“All Australian governments recognise that freight is the lifeblood of
the Australian economy. Our challenge now is to turn the Strategy’s
vision for Australia’s freight and supply chains into a reality,” Mr
Buchholz said.
Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Andrew Gee said the
Action Plan shows, for the first time, the extensive and collaborative
action we are taking to improve our national freight system.
“It showcases the extensive contributions the
Australian Government is
making, such as the $4.5 billion Roads of Strategic Importance
initiative, $32 million to improve agricultural export systems and $5.2
million to settle the design of a National Freight Data Hub,” Mr Gee
said.
These commitments complement joint investments in partnership with state
and territory governments, including the
NSW Government’s $200 million
funding for flood immunity improvements on the
Newell Highway to go with
the Australian Government’s $400 million commitment to upgrade the
highway, and the
Victorian Government’s $15.8 billion
North East Link,
to which the Australian Government has committed up to $1.75 billion.
The Australian Government has also committed up to $4.5 billion toward
Adelaide’s
North-South Corridor, with the
South Australian Government
committing a further $3 billion.
The Expert Panel commissioned by the Government in March 2017 to lead an
inquiry into national freight and supply chain priorities have expressed
their support for the Strategy and Action Plan.
“For the first time Australia is taking a truly comprehensive national
approach to freight covering all modes,” panel member and Executive
Chairman of Simon National Carriers David Simon said.
Chief Executive of
NSW Ports Marika Calfas said she was pleased to see
the commitment to keep industry engaged throughout the Strategy’s
ongoing delivery.
--ENDS--
Source: Australian Government - www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au
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