National freight strategy in the slow lane

<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> The Federal Government could go to the next election without a national freight strategy, with Australia’s transport and logistics industry doubtful the long-awaited policy will be tabled until the end of the year. </span> <p>By Sam Collyer and Jennifer Perry</p><p>In a speech to the Australian Logistics Council’s annual forum in Sydney last week, federal infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese did not give a timeframe for delivering the multi-faceted response on key issues affecting coastal shipping and both landside and portside infrastructure.<br />Albanese indicated he did not expect to see a number of the reports crucial to the overarching strategy until “later this year”, signalling the government’s response on coastal shipping could be delivered up to 18 months later than planned.<br />The Federal Government was to have responded to a review of coastal shipping by May 2009 but delayed its response to the end of that year, later delaying it indefinitely.<br />Albanese told the forum that the Federal Government was investing almost $36bn over six years to boost road, rail and port infrastructure.<br />The spending comes ahead of Infrastructure Australia’s (IA) National Ports Strategy and National Freight Network Plan.<br />But industry figures concede a growing scepticism about the timing of announcements on these projects, especially given Infrastructure Australia was still consulting with industry last week on a draft of the ports strategy.<br />Albanese said there had been “robust discussion” on issues such as the long-term masterplans for nationally significant ports and developing a model for consistent approval processes for port precincts, channels and freight corridors.<br />“I am pleased to see serious engagement is underway on these and other key issues and I look forward to receiving the end product of these consultations later this year,” Albanese said.<br />The Australian Logistics Council, which has been involved with the consultation process for IA’s two strategies, lodged a submission with IA for the National Freight Network Plan on March 5th. The&nbspALC’s eight&nbsprecommendations include:<br />.A national partnership between the states and territories should: identify nationally significant infrastructure (through the Australian Transport Council) ensure land use decisions give priority to nationally significant infrastructure and provide a fund to finance land-use decision by state and local governments that favour nationally significant infrastructure over other land uses<br />.The National Freight Plan should encourage the development of mechanisms permitting the transfer of non proprietary information across the transport and logistics chain, including (where necessary) legislation that will permit the development and use of impartial industry wide ICT solutions where that would enhance the efficiency of the transport and logistics chain<br />.The National Freight Plan should aim at a single Land Transport Regulator responsible for regulation across all modes<br />.A body called Freight Australia should be created within Infrastructure Australia to monitor the National Freight Plan.</p><p>&nbsp</p>