Aust. PM unveils national ports plan

10 Jan 2011

Source: Perth Now
Australian State and Territory governments will be asked to sign off on a new national ports strategy unveiled by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Friday.

The first-ever national strategy for Australia's ports was described as a plan ``for the decades ahead' by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese, who will have responsibility for implementing the strategy. But it will first need the approval of the states and territories who are responsible for ports and planning. The government estimates the volume of trade moving through Australia's biggest ports is expected to triple during the next 20 years.

``It is time for the way we plan and oversee our ports to change,' Ms Gillard said during a visit to Kwinana in Western Australia. Under the strategy, port operators will be required to publish 15 to 30 year master plans that detail the expected growth in trade activity as well as the facilities required to handle that growth.

State and local planning authorities will be asked to implement buffer strategies to prevent urban encroachment on ports as well as the road and rail corridors that service them. In a bid to avoid unnecessary delay in the delivery of new port facilities, the commonwealth will ensure that its environmental assessment process is carried out concurrently with those of the states.

The performance of ports will be regularly measured and compared to their international counterparts through a national data collection system. State and territory leaders will be asked to approve the strategy at a meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in February.

Read more here