LRTAWA – Stakeholder engagement – can we do better

LRTAWA byJan Cooper, CEO, Livestock and Rural Transport Association of Western Australia (Inc)

Stakeholder Engagement – Can We Do Better?

Stakeholder engagement – it is a term we hear often these days from governments, bureaucracies, community groups and people we do business with, but what is it, what should it be, why is it important and is the expectation met with reality?

In broad terms a stakeholder is an individual or group that will be affected by a decision or a project. Transport companies and truck drivers are obvious stakeholders in transport policy and infrastructure decisions. Stakeholders can have good and bad influence on decisions, but it is commonly agreed that a decision or a project will only be successful if it delivers value to the stakeholders. The determination of that value is by the stakeholders themselves not the proponent of the project or policy.

It is a complex issue as not all stakeholders are created equal and not all stakeholders agree and for this reason there is a tendency to shy away from a genuine process of engagement. There are various approaches starting at the lower end of the scale which is simply providing information after a decision is made. This resolves the tension that might exist between different stakeholder groups and it ticks the box for consultation, but it is too late for meaningful input to the decision and the chances of modifying the decision or direction are fairly slim.

A more active approach is consultation where stakeholder feedback is sought. This provides a chance to have a say and it might result in minor changes to the

Preliminary designs for a new outer port in Cockburn Sound Taskforce recommends a future container port at Kwinana which has been endorsed by the McGowan Labor Government but what will that mean for the Fremantle Port? original plan but wholesale modifications are unlikely. What we should be aiming for is collaboration where industry becomes a partner with government in finding a solution – the decisions are made together. Such an approach requires a courageous mindset and a willingness to abandon the top down approach, but the benefits for industry and the community will be enormous.

The Federal Government’s Office of Best Practice Regulation (yes there is such a thing) goes someway to providing an avenue for industry views to be considered. A Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) is required for all Cabinet submissions and any non-Cabinet decision made by any Australian Government entity if that

News

Fremantle Port – the heart of the city’s identity

The independent Westport decision will impose mandatory obligations

The final report has recommended a land-backed port be built within the Kwinana Industrial Area, connected by an uninterrupted freight corridor via Anketell Road and Tonkin Highway.

Work will now proceed to determine the timetable of transitioning freight from Fremantle Port to Kwinana. The transition will occur either in one step by 2032 or over a phased period that will see both ports share the freight task for around a further 15 years.

Last year the Westport Taskforce found that even with billions of dollars' worth of road upgrades, the transport network supporting the Fremantle Inner Harbour would reach capacity by the mid-2030s.

The recommendations of the Westport Taskforce are the result of two years of investigation and collection of technical data into WA's freight needs plus consultation and collaboration with industry, local government and the community.

The recommended container port at Kwinana would include upgrading Anketell Road into a freight route that will connect the port directly to Tonkin Highway and the logistics precincts in the outer Perth metropolitan area. It would also be