THE LATEST increase in terminal access charges at Australian box ports make a mockery of voluntary guidelines for landside charges, a leading freight industry figure says.
Freight and Trade Alliance director and Australian Peak Shippers Association secretariat Paul Zalai said the guidelines might give policymakers "a warm, fuzzy feeling", but were offering tacit approval for practices identified by the ACCC as cause for concern.
Mr Zalai's statement followed major container stevedores (Patrick, DP World, Flinders and VICT) late last week releasing details of increases to TACs and ancillary fees in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle/Perth effective 1 January 2026.
A prominent stevedore has defended the increase in landside charges, however, arguing the money was being spent on critical port infrastructure.
According to the FTA and APSA, while the 60-day notice period aligned with the National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Charges, the magnitude of the increases—mostly between 5% and 15% and exceeding 45% at DP World Fremantle—had "sparked outrage".
Mr Zalai said the stevedores were "making a mockery of the voluntary arrangements".
read more - "Warm, fuzzy" landside guidelines not good enough, shippers say
(story and pic credit DCN)