PORTS Australia chief executive Mike Gallacher welcomed Infrastructure Australia’s infrastructure priority list, and he said improving the connectivity of ports all over Australia should be a focus, as it will be vital in limiting congestion in major cities, making roads safer, and lowering cost of living through cheaper freight.
“It’s incredibly encouraging to see projects like the Port Botany Rail duplication, Port of Brisbane dedicated freight rail, freight rail access to Port Kembla, and the Port of Gladstone land and sea upgrade identified in this year’s priority list,” Mr Gallacher said
Mr Gallacher said political leaders should recognise the issues of congestion and liveability so that more actions are taken to move freight instead of more rail and road projects.
“We are surrounded by ocean, it’s time to discuss how we can make current road, rail and maritime infrastructure work better together allowing us to receive the most from the public’s infrastructure investments,” he said.
“Moving more freight by the blue highway reduces stress on land networks which would extend the lifespan and return on investment on all the projects listed in Infrastructure Australia’s priority list.”
“One small ship can do the work of 800 trucks, something that must be taken into consideration when one of Infrastructure Australia’s concerns is the increasing heavy freight vehicles leading to greater numbers of fatalities,” Mr Gallacher said.
“The soon-to-be-released National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy will be vital to the future infrastructure planning and policy implementation of this country and it’s very positive to see Infrastructure Australia recognise this as a key point,” Mr Gallacher said
“Smart freight and smart infrastructure go hand in hand. The key to tackling the challenges of congestion, liveability and regional growth brought on by the strains of higher than expected population growth is through smart freight and supply chains.”
