BITRE freight stats show GFC is just a memory

Date: 15.09.2014

Freight distance travelled resumes growth trajectory after speed bump

BITRE freight stats show GFC is just a memory

Road freight growth continues

Road freight has resumed its earlier trajectory and is growing at a yearly rate of around 5 per cent, the latest Federal Government statics show.

In its Australian road freight estimates: 2014 update, the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) measures the distance freight travels annually using the mode, starting in the early 1970s.

"The global financial crisis dampened road freight growth only slightly and for a short time," the report’s researchers say of the past 10 years.

"Total road freight growth only deviated from the trend in the year 2008-09, [with] only Western Australia and Northern Territory experiencing more than 1 per cent growth in total road freight.

"Interstate road freight growth was dampened between 2008-09 and 2009-10, but reverted to a pre-crisis growth rate in the following years."

Between 1971–72 and 2012–13, the total road freight estimate for Australia increased from 26.98 billion tonne-kilometres (tkm) to 204.87 billion tkm.

Of the states with total freight throughput greater than 10 billion tkm in 2012-13, Western Australia had the highest total freight growth rate at 4 per cent between 2011-12 and 2012-13.

South Australia was second at 2.38 per cent, while New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria had growth rates of below 2 per cent.

From 1971–72 to 2012–13 the total road freight estimate for Australia increased from 27 billion tkm to 204.9 billion tkm.

Western Australia continues to have the highest historical growth rate for total interstate road freight, averaging at 7.5 per cent per annum from 1971–72 to 2012–13.

Brisbane maintains the highest historical growth rate for capital city road freight at 6.6 per cent per annum from 1971–72 to 2012–13.

Where measuring estimates by interstate, capital cities and rest of state, the report finds:

total interstate freight estimate increased from 5.38 billion tkm to 76.84 billion tkm
the total estimate in the eight capital cities increased from 7.77 billion tkm to 45.96 billion tkm
the rest of state (i.e. within the state) increased from 13.82 billion tkm to 82.07 billion tkm.

The full set of figures can be found here.