ALC calls for political parties to adopt five election priorities

The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has called on federal election parties to adopt five policy priorities to make the freight and logistics supply chain more sustainable and efficient.

ALC said that since the onset of the global pandemic, the freight and logistics supply chain has faced back-to-back challenges. These were marked by natural disasters, geopolitical tensions, increasing costs, labour constraints and unrelenting increases in demand.

Council CEO Brad Williams said the supply chain had been in the spotlight and recent disruptions underscored the importance of the industry to the national economy.

“The freight and logistics supply chain has been front and centre for two years, against a backdrop of back-to-back challenges, the supply chain and in particular the workforce has kept the nation supplied, fed, and fuelled,” Williams said.

“ALC policy priorities are about the necessary structural and technological change that will build our capacity to absorb major shocks and allow us to respond to the growing needs and expectations of Australian households, businesses and communities,” he said.

The first priority outlined by the ALC is a strategic approach to building the nation’s rail freight capacity and freight intermodals to help drive modal shift from road to rail.

Another priority area is on an early review of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy, which will incorporate pandemic and supply chain disruption learnings and re-focus planning and investment.

The council also urged political parties and their candidates to prioritise assisting industry with the journey to net zero emissions and building skills to help address current shortages and future needs.

The final priority area is on implementing a National Road User Charge to maintain infrastructure investment.

Related: ALC welcomes national approach to Road User Charge

Australia’s freight task is growing, with the urban freight challenge expected to see a 60 per cent growth over the next 20 years to 2040, the ALC said.

“In order to achieve a more sustainable and efficient freight and logistics supply chain, we need targeted investment, better planning and more collaboration to support the national economy,” Williams said.

“Each year our freight and logistics companies and infrastructure operators move about four billion tonnes of goods across Australia, 163 tonnes of freight for every person – this is an enormous task that contributes more than $140 billion to the economy.”

Source: ALC

Related: