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New taskforce to examine Western Australian shipping industry
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he State Government is establishing a Taskforce to examine the state's shipping industry and supply chains that link Western Australia with the east coast and international customers. The taskforce comes in response to the recent significant disruption to the supply chain into WA, a result of the east-west rail link being closed for 24 days due to unprecedented flooding. The impact of the disruption, which is still being felt on WA supermarket shelves, raises questions about what else can be done to strengthen the State's supply chain. In addition, severe weather events in the north-west have also caused significant disruption and costs to the community, which means now is the time to explore all options in securing freight and supply chains. The taskforce will examine: • the role intrastate and interstate shipping can play as an ancillary route for freight movements in the event of natural disasters and disruptions to other supply chains;
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report back to Cabinet by March 31, 2023. The ability to deliver these outcomes will be reliant on assistance and coordination with the Federal Government. Transport and Ports Minister Rita Saffioti said, "We saw firsthand the disruption to our supply chains the oncein-a-200-year flooding in South Australia caused when it washed away parts of the Trans-Australia railway. "We see this as a national issue, and we are keen to work with any Federal Government willing to help us to better strengthen our east-west supply links. "It's important we examine other supply chain options in the event of future natural disasters and disruptions - having better access to a local shipping fleet would be one option to future-proof our freight supply chain. "The taskforce will speak with the shipping industry, customers, port authorities, unions and the broader community, and I look forward to receiving the report early next year."
Record-high petrol prices see Australian companies add fuel surcharges
ustralians are paying more for Ubers and postage as record-high petrol prices prompt big businesses to slug consumers with painful new fuel surcharges. A run of rapidly rising petrol prices has worsened with the war in Ukraine, sending average rates on mid-march to well over $2.10 a litre across major capital cities. And it has pushed Australia Post and rideshare firms Uber and DiDi to impose fuel surcharges on consumers. What’s more, the most recent increases in global oil prices have yet to flow through to
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• potential support for a national approach to the agile use of interstate shipping to strengthen critical supply chains; • the sustainability and resilience of WA's on-water maritime labour force, including any emerging skill gaps, training requirements or critical worker shortages; • opportunities to develop multi-modal responsiveness towards disruptions in vital WA freight supply chains; and • opportunities to improve supply chain co-ordination and service quality at WA ports. The taskforce will be chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Ports Jessica Stojkovski MLA, and the Hon. Kyle McGinn MLC. Engagement will be undertaken with the shipping and transport industry, customers, port authorities, unions and the broader community. The taskforce will identify and recommend implementable options to improve shipping industry utility and will
WATM • April 2022
Australian bowsers, with CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman saying prices may hit $2.50 a litre.
Companies impose fuel surcharges In response to the surging cost of petrol, Uber said it would introduce a 60-day surcharge on Australian rides, equalling about 6 cents per kilometre. It said this meant the average trip would now cost about 50 cents more. “We’ve heard from driver-partner feedback that the recent sudden spike
in petrol prices is having an impact,’ Uber Australia’s Emma Foley said in a statement. DiDi soon followed suit, confirming to The New Daily on Monday it is also introducing a 6-cent-per-kilometre fuel surcharge for 60 days. The surcharge will come into effect on March 21, DiDi said. It comes after Australia Post imposed a record 3.1% fuel surcharge on its services for April — up from 2.3% in March — on the back of higher petrol prices. Even Australia’s largest businesses are feeling the pinch, including food canning giant SPC, which told the AFR on Monday that its prices will go up 10 to 20% on the back of higher input costs including petrol. That news comes after earlier warnings from grocery suppliers and the big supermarket bosses that their prices will rise substantially in 2022. It all points to higher headline inflation over the next six months amid speculation about when the Reserve Bank will raise interest rates from a record-low 0.1%. This article was first published by The New Daily.
