Property Council encouraged by Freight Plan progress

The Property Council welcomes the Victorian Government’s commitment to delivering a revised Freight Plan, building on previous plans.

The Victorian Freight Plan must be designed to ensure our capital city remains competitive for the movement of both people and freight.

A key element of a successful freight industry is raising awareness of the importance of the sector to the economy and the day-to-day experience of Victorians.

A comprehensive strategy by the State Government and the recently privatised Port of Melbourne is now critical to the ensuring Melbourne’s $21 billion freight industry continues to grow.

Reclaiming the Port of Melbourne’s status as the largest container port in Australia, along with significant investment to ensure it has world class facilities and efficient supply chains, is vital to ensuring Victoria’s economic productivity and a secure future for its residents in both cities and rural areas.

With the impending release of the Port of Melbourne’s Rail Access Strategy, it is important to consider the current landscape.

Many issues fall outside the remit of the Port, and require Government leadership, including:

• Mandating a proportion of metropolitan freight onto rail by 2019/20
• Creating financial and regulatory incentives to move a proportion of freight onto rail (for example WA has an incentive of $ per TEU)
• Securing a footprint of land for the intermodal facility separate and independent to the stevedores and the Port of Melbourne

The Property Council looks forward to the release of the Freight Strategy and would welcome the opportunity to continue our constructive dialogue with Government on this important issue.