Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) and the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) incorporated extensive member feedback in a formal submission to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications (department) Review of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy (Strategy).

Reference was made to the fact that Australia is disappointingly currently ranked 106 by the World Bank for "trading across borders". FTA / APSA do not attribute this ranking solely to inefficiencies in legacy government systems, processes, and regulation, emphasising that the Federal Government must address the Simplified Trade System (STS) agenda in parallel with implementation of the well-considered recommendations of the Productivity Commission's review of Australia's Maritime Logistics System to reduce supply chain costs, stimulate an economic recovery and support significant growth opportunities for Australian exporters and importers.

In terms of the Strategy, FTA / APSA see merit in the department formally commissioning the first five-year review, importantly with an expanded scope to include:

key Government priorities of decarbonisation and supply chain resilience; AND
an increased focus in international freight and cross-border reforms.

Supporting this position, FTA / APSA have prepared the following submission with seven (7) recommendations in response to the specific questions as outlined in the Strategy Discussion Paper (August 2023) :
RECOMMENDATION 1 - the Strategy to introduce a focus on cross-border and international freight activities.
RECOMMENDATION 2 – the Federal Government to respond to the Productivity Commission Review of Australia's Maritime Logistics System with policy outcomes to be incorporated into the Strategy's goals.
RECOMMENDATION 3 - as a priority, targeted national actions need to specifically address shipping competition law (including repeal of Part X CCA, exclusive dealings via vertical integration, quayside cost recovery), Terminal Access Charges (stevedores & empty container parks), container detention (import & export).
RECOMMENDATION 4 – the Strategy to engage with the World Bank to establish KPIs aligned to its 'trading across borders' rankings.
RECOMMENDATION 5 – the Strategy to take a genuine and holistic approach to supply chain reform (including actions emerging from the Simplified Trade System and the Productivity Commission review of Australia's Maritime Logistics System).
RECOMMENDATION 6 - maintain the existing Strategy governance arrangements with the Freight Industry Reference Panel (FIRP) including an expanded shipper (exporter / importer) representation.
RECOMMENDATION 7 - APSA, being the peak body as designated by the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development of Australia, to receive appropriate federal government funding to: 1) resource key representation to the FIRP; and 2) ongoing administration of Part X of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 on behalf of all Australian containerised exporters and importers.

The FTA / APSA submission is available HERE

Tom Jensen - Head of International Freight & Logistics - FTA / APSA

FTA / APSA Submission - Review of the National Freight & Supply Chain Strategy