The Australian Logistics Council is asking all parties contesting the upcoming Victorian election to commit to six practical priorities that it claims will strengthen the state’s supply chains and make better use of the infrastructure already in place.
The ALC claims that Victoria’s freight task is expected to more than double over the next 25 years, from about 440 million tonnes in 2020-21 to an expected 908 million tonnes by 2050-51.
The Council said that about 240,000 Victorians already work across the state’s supply chain, logistics, and freight transport industries, and more skilled workers will be needed as the task grows.
As a result the Council is asking parties to commit to the six priorities including a Road Sustainability Fund for planned maintenance, safety and upgrades on freight-critical roads, bridges and first and last-mile links, which is aligned with the Victorian Freight Plan for 2025-30.
The other priorities are a staged and costed plan to increase freight rail use, improve reliability and keep new volumes on rail, to fix road and freight rail connections to ports, terminals and major logistics and industrial precincts, to plan rules that protect freight access, industrial land, freight corridors and established 24/7 operations, together with the reinstatement of a strong, independent Infrastructure Victoria.
The final two points include investment in charging infrastructure for electric heavy freight vehicles, renewable diesel and other lower-carbon fuels that can work at commercial scale without compromising reliability and a four-year Supply Chain Workforce Plan, developed with industry, unions, TAFEs, universities and training providers, with practical entry, training and licensing pathways.
ALC CEO and managing director Dr Hermione Parsons said Victoria did not need a long list of election projects.
“The state already has substantial road, rail, port and terminal assets Dr Parsons said.
“The immediate job is to fix the gaps and make the system work better and these are the networks that keep food, medicine and other essential goods reaching homes and businesses,” she said.
“Road maintenance cannot be a cycle of pothole announcements, we need planned, preventative maintenance on the routes and bridges the freight task depends on,” Dr. Parsons emphasised.
“Freight rail also needs a practical plan that deals with access costs, terminal connections, reliability and gauge constraints, and builds volumes that stay on rail,” she said.
“More housing and efficient freight access are not mutually exclusive and new communities still need deliveries, while established industrial areas need room to operate.
“Victoria also needs independent long-term advice. Infrastructure Victoria should be reinstated and strengthened where needed, not replaced by short-term political decisions,” Dr. Parsons said.
“Different freight tasks need different energy solutions, but the transition cannot come at the expense of reliability.
“None of it works without people. Victoria also needs a workforce plan linking schools, TAFEs, universities and employers, with practical training and licensing pathways and reporting on completion and retention,” she concluded.
ALC is asking all parties to set out their positions before polling day and will track commitments throughout the campaign and underlined that the six priorities all build on the Victorian Freight Plan 2025-30.
