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Australian PM Unveils First-ever National Ports Plan |
| Source: |
english.cri.cn |
| Source Date: |
Friday, January 07, 2011 |
| Focus: |
Electronic and Mobile Government, Citizen Engagement, Internet Governance
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| Country: |
Australia |
| Created: |
Jan 11, 2011 |
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Australian Prime Minister on Friday unveiled a first-ever national ports strategy to cope with a tripling of trade through the nation's ports.
The strategy came as the government estimated the volume of trade moving through Australia's biggest ports is expected to triple during the next 20 years.
According to Gillard, the absence of a national coordinated approach had prevented some ports from expanding because not enough land was set aside for growth.
"Also, too little thought has gone into planning the road and rail links needed to support their activities," Gillard told Australia Associated Press in Western Australia on Friday.
"The resulting bottlenecks ... are hurting Australia's economic performance, causing lower productivity, slower growth and the loss of billions of dollars in export earnings."
"It is time for the way we plan and oversee our ports to change. "
Under the strategy, port operators will be required to publish 15 to 30 year master plans that detail the expected growth in trade activity as well as the facilities required to handle that growth.
State and local planning authorities will be asked to implement buffer strategies to prevent urban encroachment on ports, as well as the road and rail corridors that service them.
In a bid to avoid unnecessary delay in the delivery of new port facilities, the commonwealth will ensure that its environmental assessment process is carried out concurrently with those of the states.
The performance of ports will be regularly measured and compared to their international counterparts through a national data collection system.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese will have responsibility for implementing the strategy, and it will first need the approval of the states and territories, who are responsible for ports and planning, at a meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in February.
Shortly after the announcement, trade unions and port operators welcomed the first-ever national ports strategy.
Ports Australia, which represents publicly and privately-owned operators, welcomed the strategy's focus on simpler regulation and approvals processes that would allow better planning for new terminals, berths and channels.
"These processes have become more complex, more expensive and more capricious in their administration," chief executive David Anderson said in a statement released on Friday.
"They now pose a serious threat to our international competitiveness."
Australia Associated Press reported that the Transport Union Federation said the strategy is the framework and vital direction ports have "long been crying out for", as recent history had shown productivity at some ports had been severely hampered by limitations on infrastructure, investment and by planning issues.
The Transport Workers Union said an effective ports strategy would hold stevedores accountable for increasing efficiency.
The strategy has been developed by Infrastructure Australia and the National Transport Commission.
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Australian PM Unveils First-ever National Ports Plan Australian Prime Minister on Friday unveiled a first-ever national ports strategy to cope with a tripling of trade through the nation's ports
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