DCN April 2019 Edition

AUSTRALIAN LOGISTICS COUNCIL, FORUM 2019
Logistics industry returns to the
MCG for debate and discussion
The famous Melbourne Cricket Ground was the setting for the Australian Logistics
Council Forum 2019, an event that brought together industry heavy hitters
NAIRN AND ALBO JOUST OVER
FUEL SUPPLY
Shipping Australia chief executive Rod Nairn
raised concerns over Labor shipping policy,
suggesting it could amount to handing over
fuel security to the Maritime Union.
Labor is on record as wanting to ensure a
strategic fleet of Australian-flagged tankers
that could be requisitioned during a conflict
or national emergency.
During one session, Mr Nairn
questioned Labor infrastructure spokesman
Anthony Albanese about the policy.
“My first concern is that I don’t see how
putting our fuel supplies into the hands
of a known militant union is a way of
improving resilience,” he said.
“I thought we would be better off to have
multiple flags, providing that from all over
the world from different sources and also
increasing our level of reserves to give us
that resilience.”
But Mr Albanese stood by the policy.
“I say yes we need multiple flags, unless
we act we won’t have one [Australia] flag
will be missing. Let’s not pretend that’s not
happening,” he said.
“The fact that your organisation, with
respect, is called Shipping Australia,
even though they’re the non-Australian
[shipping businesses], is in my mind a
recognition that there is actually a
Melissa Horne MP, Victorian
minister for ports and freight
national interest in having an Australian
shipping industry.
“That is the giveaway, the fact that you
have chosen that [name].”
Mr Nairn earlier praised Mr Albanese for
his support in connecting inland rail to the
ports of Brisbane and Melbourne and for
his intervention on the biosecurity levy.
BIOSECURITY LEVY “A REVENUE GRAB”,
SAYS ALBANESE
Opposition infrastructure spokesman
Anthony Albanese hit out at the
government over its handling of the
proposed biosecurity levy, describing the
controversial policy as “a revenue grab”.
Mr Albanese, a former minister, was a
keynote speaker. He noted the levy arose
from the review of the inter-governmental
agreement on biosecurity.
“The review proposed a levy of $10 on all
shipping containers to take effect from July
1,” Mr Albanese told the gathering.
“But the government is attempting to
impose a general import levy based upon
volume on all shipping movements – this
appears to be a revenue grab,” he said.
“It has created understandable concern
about whether the money collected will
even be used for biosecurity because of
course, it is no hypothecated – no tax ever
really is.”
Mr Albanese said biosecurity was
important and had to be paid for.
“But the government has completely
botched this process.”
ANALYST MAKES THE CASE FOR
“BALANCE FOR BETTER”
Progress towards gender balance in logistics
suggest participation parity is a century
away, according to director of the National
Association of Women in Operations
Louise Weine.
Ms Weine argued the case for “balance
for better” and said gender disparity within
logistics was no secret.
She noted an overall increase in female
representation in the sector from 25.9% in
2014 to 26.4% in 2018 and the percentage
of women in key management positions has
increased by 5% to 22.2%.
“I think it is fair to say that progress to
balance has been or is patchy and slow,” Ms
Weine said. “In fact, at the current rate of
progress it has been estimated that we are
over 100 years to balance.
“That is 100 years. So my goal for my
daughters to work into an environment
where they don’t feel like they are in the
minority is still quite a long way away.”
MINISTER HORNE MAKES THE CASE
FOR RAIL
Victorian Minister for Ports and Freight
Melissa Horne says rail is imperative in
handling a burgeoning freight task around
the Port of Melbourne.
Ms Horne spoke at the ALC Forum
2019, one of her first industry events since
becoming minister following the state
election late last year.
“The port’s dependence upon road is
in a large part due to the fact that import
containers travel such short distances and
most are bound for the metropolitan area,”
the minister said.
“Of all capital city ports, only Adelaide
moves its import containers a shorter
distance than Melbourne – 87% of imports
and 52% of exports have metropolitan
destination or origin.”
Ms Horne was giving one of her first
public addresses since becoming minister
following the state election late last year.
“’With projected growth, this could
rise to over 30,000 trucks a day within the
term of the [50-year] lease – it is simply
unsustainable,” she said.
Ms Horne said Freight Victoria was
assessing a proposal by the Port of
Melbourne to deliver an on-dock rail
solution by integrating stevedore and rail
terminals at Swanson Dock.
David Sexton
26 April 2019
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