Government reviews, strategies and plans

In 2021, the Australian Government requested the Productivity Commission undertake an independent review into supply chain vulnerabilities and risks to prepare Australia for possible supply chain disruptions.

The purpose of the review was to examine the nature and source of risks to the effective functioning of our economy, Australians’ wellbeing associated with disruptions to global supply chains, identifying any significant vulnerabilities and possible approaches to managing them.

The interim report was released on 26 March 2021 and focused on imports. The interim report included a framework on how to identify supply chains that are vulnerable to disruption and also identified strategies to manage supply chain risks and circumstances under which government might intervene. The final report, which also looked at exports and was released on 13 August 2021, found that the vast majority of Australia’s supply chains are not vulnerable to disruption.

Transport for NSW has started consultation with freight industry stakeholders to help inform a Strategic Business Case for a proposed Freight Community System. The Freight Community System would be a neutral and open digitised platform enabling freight supply chain participants to rapidly and securely exchange information to optimise, automate and manage logistics processes, by providing visibility of data across freight supply chains.

The Freight Community System would incorporate air, road, rail and sea supply chain networks, increasing productivity and efficiency across multiple intermodal points. It would aim to solve operational problems and visibility issues for freight supply chain operators throughout a product’s entire journey.

To keep up to date with the latest progress, the Transport for NSW website.

The Independent Review of the Victorian Ports System was the first holistic review into the ports system in 20 years, and was released in September 2021 following extensive consultation across industry and stakeholders, including commercial port and local port operators. Overall, the Review made 63 recommendations together with long-term reforms that reinforce open market access to ensure the sustainable economic future of Victoria’s ports.

The full Victorian Government response addresses these recommendations, while setting out the three main areas of action:

• Establishing Ports Victoria, including creating Ports Victoria’s legislative charter, and outlining key reforms including to pilotage and towage services.
• Developing the Victorian Commercial Ports Strategy which will further define the government’s stewardship role and articulating the key steps in ensuring the future of Victoria’s ports.
• Local ports and waterway management reforms that will seek to effectively support the economic and social value of these assets.

The Victorian Government has delivered on the review recommendations by creating Ports Victoria - a new state port entity to lead the strategic management and operation of Victorian commercial ports and waterways. Ports Victoria is headquartered in Geelong, recognising the city’s important role in Victoria’s ports system through Geelong Port and the future relocation of the Spirit of Tasmania.

Following completion of the Independent Review, the Victorian Government has commenced developing a new Victorian Commercial Ports Strategy as a key response to the Review of the Victorian Ports System, responding to industry’s feedback for a state-wide vision for the commercial ports sector. With a 30-year vision, the key themes and directions identified for the strategy include:

• Bay West: establishment of protections to ensure future capacity, refinement of landside and waterside port options, relationship with Port of Melbourne capacity, and baseline data collection.
• Trade demand: the port strategy will explore trade and industry trends impacting the sector and what infrastructure and policy responses may facilitate sector growth and resilience, including the role of ports in responding to changing energy trends.
• Transport network capacity: providing detailed analysis of each commercial port landside connectivity to ensure port capacity is not constrained.
• Port of Geelong channel optimisation: Geelong port competitiveness is currently constrained by its channel characteristics and depth.
• Commercial port land-use protection: clarify and strengthen planning protections to reduce ambiguity and prevent incompatible and sensitive land use development in and around the port environs.
• Other themes identified in the review, such as Corner Inlet and potential commercial opportunities.

These themes have been informed by extensive stakeholder consultation with the ports sector as part of the Independent Review of the Victorian Ports System. The new strategy will further define the Victorian Government’s stewardship role, outlining the key steps in ensuring the future of Victoria’s commercial ports.

In March 2021, the Tasmanian Government released a Freight and Logistics Toolkit to support Tasmanian businesses to increase long-term competitiveness and viability through freight and logistics improvements.

The Toolkit, an initiative under the Trade Action Plan 2021, was developed in collaboration with the Tasmanian Logistics Committee and the Tasmanian Transport Association. It provides trading businesses with the knowledge and resources they need to transport their products globally.

Along with an overview of the Tasmanian freight and logistics environment, and considerations for moving products out of Tasmania, the Toolkit also includes a register of Tasmanian freight and logistics suppliers operating in the state.

Review the Freight and Logistics Toolkit.

The Heavy Vehicle Roadmap is a Victorian Government initiative to streamline the current permit processing system and remove the cost and delays to industry when obtaining permits for heavy vehicles on Victoria’s road networks.

The Roadmap seeks to streamline the permit processing system and remove costs and delay to industry when obtaining permits. Its 30 short-, medium- and long-term initiatives were developed in response to:

• the significant increase in demand for heavy vehicles access due to Melbourne’s population growth
• industry’s move to High Productivity Freight Vehicles
• the roll-out of Victoria’s Big Build 
• the Victorian Government’s commitment to renewable energy.

The Victorian Government, via the State budget and Regulatory Reform Incentive Fund, has allocated $7.5 million to delivering the medium- and long-term initiatives outlined in the Roadmap. This will fund:

• the addition of 700 kilometres of approved arterial roads to the High Productivity Freight Vehicle network
• the development and publication of pre-approved maps for 6,7,8 and 9 axle cranes (predominantly used for major
• projects) and Platform trailers operating at up to 200 tonnes
• the development of specifications for an automated structural assessment system that will provide near real-time
• bridge assessments with no cost or delay to industry.

The final Revitalising Agricultural Region Freight Strategy sets the direction for future investment in freight infrastructure in the key agricultural regions of Western Australia. Western Australia’s agriculture and food sector represents about 10 per cent of the States’ economy and continues to grow. The Strategy identifies and prioritises specific infrastructure upgrades and suggests regulatory and policy measures that will help make freight transport in Western Australia’s agricultural regions more productive, efficient and safer.

The Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements program is the implementation phase of the Strategy, which includes the compilation of business cases to attract funding, and the eventual delivery of construction works. In May 2021, a joint State and Commonwealth funding contribution of $200 million was announced for the first package under the Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements program. The funding has been committed for high priority freight projects, to be delivered over a four-year period.

The South Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport has funded the SA Freight Council to undertake a Regional Freight Productivity Project to improve the transport and logistics efficiency of freight generating sectors. The Regional Freight Productivity Project provides an opportunity for councils to improve understanding of freight challenges in regional South Australia and to raise freight issues in their region.

The project will support future state infrastructure and sectoral planning activities by providing problem and opportunity statements that will define future regional freight challenges for South Australia.