Productivity Commission Inquiry: Regulation of Australian Agriculture 2016 The Inquiry examined ways to encourage private financing and funding for major infrastructure projects and investigated costs, competitiveness and productivity in the public infrastructure sector. Key Findings Key Australian related to freight Recommendations Government and supply Response chains Competitiveness Increasing the The in the number of routes Australian agricultural gazetted for Government sector is heavy vehicle has not yet critically access, with responded dependent on provision for road to the efficient and users to propose Inquiry. cost-effective and assess transport routes for gazettal systems, as heavy vehicle particularly the routes; road transport Requiring access system; permits only in Efficient heavy certain where vehicle selection there are risks to and use is safety or hindered by infrastructure complex management; regulation Improving the relating to efficiency of road dimensions and infrastructure weight investment and restrictions on use through direct local roads. road user While there charging on have been selected roads, improvements in the creation of this area, road funds and inefficiencies the hypothecation remain; of revenues to Direct road user incentivise the charging for efficient supply of selected roads roads; would Requirements for encourage moving oversize investment in agricultural roads with the machinery should greatest net be proportionate community to the risks benefit; involved, with The poor state greater use of of some rail exemptions and infrastructure imposes costs
Productivity Commission Inquiry: Regulation of Australian Agriculture 2016 The Inquiry examined ways to encourage private financing and funding for major infrastructure projects and investigated costs, competitiveness and productivity in the public infrastructure sector. Key Findings related to freight and supply chains Key Recommendations Australian Government Response Competitiveness in the agricultural sector is critically dependent on efficient and cost-effective transport systems, particularly the road transport system; Efficient heavy vehicle selection and use is hindered by complex regulation relating to dimensions and weight restrictions on local roads. While there have been improvements in this area, inefficiencies remain; Direct road user charging for selected roads would encourage investment in roads with the greatest net community benefit; The poor state of some rail infrastructure imposes costs Increasing the number of routes gazetted for heavy vehicle access, with provision for road users to propose and assess routes for gazettal as heavy vehicle routes; Requiring access permits only in certain where there are risks to safety or infrastructure management; Improving the efficiency of road infrastructure investment and use through direct road user charging on selected roads, the creation of road funds and the hypothecation of revenues to incentivise the efficient supply of roads; Requirements for moving oversize agricultural machinery should be proportionate to the risks involved, with greater use of exemptions and The Australian Government has not yet responded to the Inquiry.