Australian port strategy promises overhaul

Australian Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese has said his new National Ports Strategy is a blueprint for the future that will address the bottlenecks which have hampered competition and growth.


Mr Albanese said that for too long, Australian freight infrastructure planning has been conducted in isolation and sometimes even in competition between sectors and with differing approaches in each state.


Now, states will be asked to provide “buffer” plans to preserve freight corridors to the ports. These will be backed by broader regional plans to ensure, for instance, that housing proposals are considered in the context of not inhibiting future transport corridors.


There will be a national data collection system to allow more efficient and coordinated management of the growing freight task.


An onus will be put on ports to participate in performance reviews, so that systems and efficiency can be effectively compared and measured. Tied in with this will be the release later this year of a National Freight Strategy.


There will also be moves towards nationally consistent environmental assessment process and continuing regulatory reform.


Mr Albanese says that the strategy will give investors more certainty, creating a more attractive environment for the investment.
(Source:http://www.portstrategy.com)