The New South Wales Freight Advisory Council Chairman, Ron Finemore, has called for freight and transportation operators to make a contribution to the development of the state’s ambitious Freight and Ports Strategy.
A draft of the strategy, which aims to drastically improve the transport infrastructure of NSW over the next 20 years, was published in November, and is seeking contributions from operators in an effort to identify the most efficient ways to improve priority aspects, as seen by the freight industry itself.
The draft document is open for public comment until 11 February, 2013, with the strategy due to be finalised and released by the summer of 2013.
“Once finalised, the Freight and Ports Strategy will be a road map for future freight and logistics in NSW, detailing specific actions and projects needed to get this state moving again – a historic first for the state,” Finemore said in a statement.
Finemore congratulated the NSW government for choosing to work very closely with industry members, highlighting the fact that this will lead to a “practical and realistic strategy to improve freight and logistic networks in NSW”.
But he stressed that it was now time for operators to have their say and contribute to the overall development of the strategy.
“It’s now up to industry and their customers to review the draft strategy in detail and provide meaningful input and alternative solutions to problems. Through this strategy we have the opportunity to help position NSW as a future national leader in freight and logistics.”
The Freight and Ports Strategy is designed to develop the efficiency, capacity and sustainability of the transport system in NSW over a 20-year period until 2031. By this time, it is expected that the freight industry will already have doubled in its output to an estimated 794 million tonnes of cargo transported on road and rail to the key ports and airports in NSW.
According to statistics released by the NSW government, some 67 billion tonne-kilometres of freight is transported annually with a total value of more than $80 billion, accounting for some $58 billion of the state’s economy.
“Transport of freight is critical to the State economy and the efficiency of the transport network contributes to the success and growth of NSW. Conversely, inefficiencies, friction and capacity constraints in the transport network add costs for manufacturers, producers and consumers,” the government states on its website dedicated to the Freight and Ports Strategy.
It is forecast that NSW is to experience considerable growth levels in population, housing and employment over the next two decades, with corresponding increases in traffic congestion, infrastructural pressure and land-use planning issues creating major challenges for the freight industry.
Meeting the needs of NSW’s future freight task has become a critical component in the state’s overall economic development plan.
“The expected doubling of the NSW freight task to nearly 800 million tonnes by 2031 highlights the need to deliver the first-ever NSW Freight and Ports Strategy,” said NSW Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay.
“Freight matters to every person in the state. Efficient freight and logistic networks reduce the cost of everyday goods and services, underpin the strength of our export industries, and generate vital employment.”
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