The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has called on the New South Wales government to take a ‘freight-first approach’ in its plans for infrastructure in the state.
This is specifically in relation to creating infrastructure for electric and other alternative energy vehicles in order to help the state successfully achieve its decarbonisation goals.
In a detailed submission to the Legislative Assembly Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, the ALC says that freight is not a subset of the electric vehicle challenge, but will be the key area for government to prove that the state is ready for a larger energy transition.
“If infrastructure isn’t designed with freight in mind, it won’t deliver the outcomes NSW is aiming for,” says ALC CEO Hermione Parsons.
“Freight has unique operational demands—continuous, high-volume movements across vast distances—and planning frameworks need to reflect that complexity from the beginning.
“Freight is where planning, energy and regulatory policy converge. This transition is about more than vehicles—it’s about future-proofing the infrastructure that keeps our economy moving.”
The ALC has put forward six key recommendations, including:
- Strategic grid upgrades in outer-metropolitan and regional freight precincts
- Freight-dedicated charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure
- Zoning protections for industrial land linked to energy-readiness assessments
- Nationally consistent vehicle access rules for zero-emission trucks
- Integration of marine freight into EV infrastructure strategies
- A coordinated workforce transition plan across logistics and energy sectors
It has also called for the establishment of a NSW Freight Infrastructure Fund to enable co-investment in scalable, shared-use projects.
The fund would prioritise facilities located on major corridors and at intermodal terminals, with open-access principles and a technology-neutral approach.
“Freight operators are ready to invest—but they need certainty,” says ALC head of government and industry affairs Sheena Fardell.
“That means infrastructure aligned to freight needs, efficient approval processes, and nationally consistent policy settings. This is a generational opportunity to embed freight into the core of transport and energy planning—where it belongs.”