ALC

AN EFFECTIVE FREIGHT STRATEGY IS AN EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC STRATEGY

When the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy (the Strategy) was released less than a year ago, COVID-19 was not on anyone’s radar, much less something around which Australian households and businesses were busily redesigning their day-to-day activities.

Yet now, with the pandemic’s curve seemingly flattened and government attention turning to how the economic recovery can be hastened, the good news is that a significant amount of work on that front has already been done.

We are not starting from scratch, casting about for ideas. Governments merely need to take the words they all signed off on last August and convert

them into meaningful action.

Everything that political leaders have talked about as priority areas in the pursuit of economic recovery – enhanced infrastructure, regulatory reform, harmonization, red tape reduction and ensuring the workforce is equipped with the right skills for the future –are explicitly addressed by the Strategy.

As an industry, our challenge is to act to ensure our governments turn these fine words into finer deeds.

At a meeting of the Transport and Infrastructure Council (TIC) in November 2019, governments were asked to present their implementation plans for the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy. These documents were intended to move the Strategy into the next phase by setting out how jurisdictions would put their plans into action.

As ALC noted at the time, it was regrettable that there was not enough detail in several of the plans presented to give industry confidence that the measures will be pursued with a sufficient sense of urgency.

Certainly, the absence of clear deadlines for completing key actions – a basic requirement in being able to track and assess progress – was a deep concern.

Effective implementation of the

The liveability of communities is inextricably linked to the ability to move freight efficiently, safely and cost effectively.

Strategy was urgent before COVID-19 hit; but it is even more critical now.

Whilst noting that all jurisdictions have now presented implementation plans as part of the the Strategy, ALC has expressed disappointment over the lack of detail and deadlines.

To assist in Australia’s economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the Strategy must be implemented in full by federal, state and territory governments.

The price we pay for consumer goods, our international competitiveness, continued growth in exports and the liveability of our communities are all inextricably linked to our ability to move freight efficiently, safely and cost effectively.

With Australia now facing a far more challenging economic climate than that which prevailed at the time of the Strategy’s release, opportunities to enhance national productivity and permit our exporters to compete more effectively on the international stage must be grasped quickly.

With so much at stake, it is essential that the implementation plans developed by governments be updated to reflect this new reality. In particular, it is essential that these plans clearly spell out how, when and by whom actions will be delivered, so that progress can be measured, and jurisdictions can be held to account.

ALC notes that all jurisdictions will be required to report their progress to the Transport and Infrastructure Council (TIC) at the end of each year.

While this is an important accountability measure, ALC also believes it is vital for industry to ensure that its needs are being actioned by governments by establishing an industry-led accountability measure that will provide a practical perspective as to how effectively implementation is occurring – and which areas need greater focus.

To that end, ALC is now working with our members to develop a jurisdictional ‘scorecard’ which we plan to publish later this year.

This scorecard will take into account the level of detail in each implementation plan, its alignment with the priorities contained within the Strategy, and the progress that

Australia is facing a far more challenging economic climate than that which prevailed at the time of the Strategy’s release.

has been made in implementing the commitments made in each jurisdictional implementation plan.

The scorecard will ‘grade’ each jurisdiction against a set of benchmarks These benchmarks are currently being developed by members of ALC’s policy committees which examine key policy areas including infrastructure, regulation, safety and technology.

This will ensure that the assessment criteria are being developed by those working in these key supply chain areas on a day-to-day basis, and accordingly will provide a realistic, practical view of whether jurisdictional plans are actually being delivered in a way that meets the needs of industry.

Our world has undoubtedly been changed by the COVID-19 experience, and the freight and logistics industry is no exception.

However, in an environment where providing economic stimulus and employment opportunities through infrastructure projects and regulatory reform are urgent priorities, the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy should be clearly recognised for what it is – a critical tool in economic recovery. ■