Stakeholders

Government Policy Context 

Major reform of infrastructure investment, regulation and many other aspects of T&L are currently underway. This is in response to changes in customer demands that are increasing the freight task while also increasing its complexity. In 2007 the Commonwealth Government commissioned the development of a National T&L Industry Strategy for 2008-2015. This was followed in late 2007 with a review of freight councils. The Strategy and the review pointed to the need for freight councils to more closely align with and contribute to national transport policy development.

This is timely, as the release of the T&L Industry Strategy 2008-2015, the development of a National Transport Plan, priority setting by Infrastructure Australia and rationalisation of industry regulation machinery coincides with the development of the QTLC Business Plan.
The Freight Councils are funded to undertake research and stakeholder consultation in the following areas outlined as Key Performance Indicators:

• Infrastructure Planning and Investment;
• Network performance, Supply Chain performance and Capacity constraints;
• Energy and Environment;
• Workforce Planning and Skills;
• Safety and Security;
• Strategic Research and Technology;
• Regulation
• Leadership

Therefore the QTLC’s advice to the Federal Government will be focussed around these priorities.

The QTLC also supports the process and development of Connecting SEQ 2031 and the National T&L Strategy generated from industry views as to the future needs of the sector. While these are important industry development guides, QTLC has a responsibility to advise government on its policy agendas. These are articulated through the COAG reform agenda being implemented by the Australian Transport Council (ATC) and the Queensland Government’s policy frameworks, articulated in documents such as the SEQ Regional Freight Network Strategy, SEQ Infrastructure Plan and Program (SEQIPP); and by providing an oversight role to the development of Phase 1 of the Queensland Freight Strategy in partnership with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. The QTLC will lead the industry consultation program during the second phase of the project in early 2010.
 

Industry Context

The next 2 years will challenge the Transport and Logistics Industry (T&L) as the nation emerges from the impacts of the GFC. It is widely acknowledged that T&L will experience a sharp spike in demand as it did following the Asian Financial Crisis in the late 1990’s.

Building infrastructure is a priority of both the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments. However, a constrained fiscal environment may extend the timelines for delivery of major transport infrastructure and limit the partnering capacity of private sector investors.

How industry reacts in sharing responsibility for implementation of these hard infrastructure plans will depend on the way in which businesses are engaged and the way in which opportunities for investment and cooperation are identified.

Smaller businesses (SME) are particularly vulnerable in this environment and the QTLC stands ready to provide the expertise and advice to government and industry on a broader freight strategy that is supply chain focused and provides innovative solutions.

Providing advice to these SME’s and facilitating their involvement in industry initiatives will allow the QTLC to deliver a consistent theme of Safety: Environment: Productivity and to promote the benefits of achieving a broader understanding of Performance Based Standards (PBS) in road transport rather than simply promoting Higher Productivity Vehicles (HPV). In terms of the environment and energy security, our aim is to support the rollout of LNG refuelling outlets for freight transport to mitigate the impacts of peak oil.
Businesses in the T&L sector have demonstrated a willingness to retain trained staff despite the downturn in activity. The QTLC focus for the next two years in this regard is to build and enhance the skills and capacity of the T&L workforce through its support of the Skills Formation Strategy to lay the foundations for growth in coming years.

Industry has responded with tangible support to the Get into transport and logistics (adopt a school program) which has identified a number of T&L companies willing to assist and are offering jobs and apprenticeships’ to young Queenslanders in association with the Department of Transport and Main Roads. The QTLC will work cooperatively with DTMR’s Industry Capability Branch which has carriage of the T&L WAG process.

Changes to the regulatory frameworks that control the T&L sector’s activities need to be supported by education and regular consultation. The QTLC plans to host a number of forums to deal with emerging issues such as the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, and the impacts of Peak Oil: and the potential spikes in oil energy prices and threats to supply from the first Oil Shock as oil production declines.