interstate collaboration, as well as a clear strategy of strengthening core regional rail networks alongside an effective, connecting network of roads and grain receival sites, so that road and rail work together rather than having the rail lying dormant in low yield seasons. Regional and remote freight The current capacity and performance of freight networks in regional and remote areas (road, rail, coastal shipping and air) have been shaped by historical patterns of settlement driven by economic opportunity, lifestyle and traditional indigenous peoples. The 2015 Northern Australia White Paper estimates the population growing by 2 per cent per annum into the late 2020s in northern Australia, and other reports point to positive longterm prospects for trade. The dominant for regional and remote freight supply chains are that: Adverse climatic events increase in frequency over 20 years, and need to be adapted to. Extensive damage to regional rail and road networks need to be seized as an opportunity to assess the potential to upgrade them for resilience but also better interconnection. For example, national emergency funding allowing road bridges and culverts to be upgraded to allow for higher productivity vehicles. Low freight volumes, especially for backfilling, increase the costs regional communities pay for freight services. The Harper Competition Review of 2015 noted that vertical integration of rail may be preferable to structural separation on some low volume routes, particularly where road freight is an effective competitor, with appropriate compliance and enforcement regimes. Transport automation unable to deliver expected supply chain cost savings as in other parts of the economy. Access to telecommunications services remains inadequate across key stretches of transport routes in regional and remote and prevents the realisation of important safety and economic benefits. This issue has been identified as a key priority by the COAG Transport and Infrastructure Council in the 2015 National Remote and Regional Transport Strategy. Concerns that future national security and safety regulation may add costs and reduce the efficiency of air freight movement to key national and international locations. The long lead for return on investment, coupled with the dual utility that freight networks play in social outcomes within communities, especially in remote areas, mean that different approaches to infrastructure are needed to those in major urban cities. In the absence of private investment, governments will need to take a key enabling role in the development of freight networks.
interstate collaboration, as well as a clear strategy of strengthening core regional rail networks alongside an effective, connecting network of roads and grain receival sites, so that road and rail work together rather than having the rail lying dormant in low yield seasons. Regional and remote freight The current capacity and performance of freight networks in regional and remote areas (road, rail, coastal shipping and air) have been shaped by historical patterns of settlement driven by economic opportunity, lifestyle and traditional indigenous peoples. The 2015 Northern Australia White Paper estimates the population growing by 2 per cent per annum into the late 2020s in northern Australia, and other reports point to positive longterm prospects for trade. The dominant for regional and remote freight supply chains are that: Adverse climatic events increase in frequency over 20 years, and need to be adapted to. Extensive damage to regional rail and road networks need to be seized as an opportunity to assess the potential to upgrade them for resilience but also better interconnection. For example, national emergency funding allowing road bridges and culverts to be upgraded to allow for higher productivity vehicles. Low freight volumes, especially for backfilling, increase the costs regional communities pay for freight services. The Harper Competition Review of 2015 noted that vertical integration of rail may be preferable to structural separation on some low volume routes, particularly where road freight is an effective competitor, with appropriate compliance and enforcement regimes. Transport automation unable to deliver expected supply chain cost savings as in other parts of the economy. Access to telecommunications services remains inadequate across key stretches of transport routes in regional and remote and prevents the realisation of important safety and economic benefits. This issue has been identified as a key priority by the COAG Transport and Infrastructure Council in the 2015 National Remote and Regional Transport Strategy. Concerns that future national security and safety regulation may add costs and reduce the efficiency of air freight movement to key national and international locations. The long lead for return on investment, coupled with the dual utility that freight networks play in social outcomes within communities, especially in remote areas, mean that different approaches to infrastructure are needed to those in major urban cities. In the absence of private investment, governments will need to take a key enabling role in the development of freight networks.
Inquiry_Report.docx