The Freight and Supply Chain Strategy should set an ambitious goal for a globally competitive freight and logistics sector in Australia, to be achieved by efficiently expanding the capacity of the sector to cater for future growth and by lifting productivity.
The areas of policy coordination that Australia’s governments should prioritise in the strategy include:
- support for innovation in freight services and the development of new business models:
- an efficient, trusted regulatory framework for the collection and sharing of freight transport data
- appropriate recognition of the importance of freight networks in strategic, integrated urban and regional land use planning, and the reservation and protection of freight corridors needed for future growth
- identification, funding and delivery of new investments in freight infrastructure, prioritised by the highest net economic and social benefits
- more efficient use of freight infrastructure through user pays charging and the removal of undue regulatory restrictions on use. Road user charging and investment reform should be prioritised
- ensuring a trained workforce via the vocational and education training system, and
- maintaining high standards for safety and for managing the impact of freight operations on communities and the environment.