Michael Kilgariff

The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has welcomed the draft Queensland Infrastructure Plan, which it says is the "first step in providing a solid blueprint" to guide the state's long-term infrastructure plans.

"Queensland's freight task is expected to almost double in just over 20 years, which underscores the need for a more focused approach by government to ensure we have the right infrastructure in place to meet future freight demand," says Michael Kilgariff, ALC managing director.

The draft plan identifies several opportunities to enhance freight efficiency through the removal of restrictions on key highways, including the Bruce and Warrego highways.

It also acknowledges the need for a more co-ordinated and streamlined investment approach in key economic areas like Gladstone and Townsville to provide greater certainty to industry.

"ALC believes nationally significant infrastructure should be judged on the importance of the infrastructure to the national economy, and so in that regard, we also applaud the Government's inclusion of the inland rail project on its infrastructure priority list," Kilgariff says.

He adds that the project will provide jobs to help meet Queensland's freight task in the future. "Rail is the dominant mode of transport on the east/west corridor, but it should, and can through inland rail, have a higher share on the north/south corridor between Melbourne and Brisbane."

Kilgariff has also called for the implementation of a report into NSW Council amalgamations to boost the efficiency of the state's freight supply chains.

He says the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) report released last week provides hard evidence the system of local government in NSW "is broken and needs urgent repair".

"The logistics industry agrees with the report's recommendation to merge councils that are deemed 'not fit' as a way to improve the delivery of major infrastructure, achieve more efficient service delivery and to better integrate strategic planning and policy.

"As the report card indicates, there is a need to enhance the scale and capacity of local councils to improve how they deliver services to both local communities and industry, and the logistics industry is a good case in point.

"All too often, and to the frustration of industry, councils take different approaches to such things as 'last mile' access, the loading and unloading of goods, delivery curfews and other restrictions which impact on the efficient movement of freight."

NSW's freight task is expected to double by 2031 to nearly 800 million T.

Previous IPART reports have found improving road access for heavy vehicles could reduce red tape by $59.2 million a year, and estimate that heavy vehicle access restrictions cost $366 million annually in NSW.