Following yesterday’s announcement that Julia Gillard and the Labor Party have secured the votes necessary to form government, industry players were quick to demand a priority focus on reform.
The
Australian Logistics Council (ALC) congratulated Prime Minister Gillard on forming a new government and “looks forward to working with all Governments, national and state/territory, to continuing the national transport and infrastructure reform agenda.”
“The Australian Transport industry is regulated by the Commonwealth, eight state and territory governments, over 500 local councils, as well as a number of government agencies,” said ALC chief executive officer, Michael Kilgariff.
“The result is a range of confusing, complex and inconsistent laws with high compliance costs.
“Major steps have been taken in recent years to develop a national transport and logistics market by supporting national rail safety and marine safety regulators, as well as a National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.
“These regulatory frameworks are in the process of being developed in preparation for ‘national’ or ‘applied’ legislation to be passed by all governments.
“Infrastructure Australia is also working on a National Freight Network Plan, which should set the agenda for all governments to ensure the appropriate regulatory environment, infrastructure and investment is in place to meet Australia’s freight needs.
“The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) also needs to continue with capital city strategic planning to take into account issues such as transport corridor, international gateways, intermodal connections, and reservation of appropriate lands to support future expansion.
“Prior to the election, there were already developing signs that the transport and logistics reform agenda was in real danger of stalling if it didn’t continue to receive strong national leadership.
“National reform is a bit like riding a bike: if one stops pedalling and pushing, the thing falls over and goes nowhere.
“We look forward to the Gillard Government renewing their focus on national transport and logistics reform.
“This is important because Australia’s freight task is estimated to triple by 2050 – from 503 billion tonne kilometres to 1,540 billion tonne kilometres, with local demand for total freight movements increasing by as much as 60% by 2020”, said Mr Kilgariff.
“The transport and logistics industry is a critical part of the Australian economy, generating 14.5% of Australia’s GDP and providing more than 1 million jobs across 165,000 companies. ALC estimates that every 1% increase in efficiency will save Australia around $1.5 billion.
“The freight T&L industry has had strong national leadership and ALC is very hopeful that will continue,” Mr Kilgariff said.