$8.5 million investment to track Australian freight use
The iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) says its recommendation for the establishment of a freight data hub to monitor use of Australia’s transport system had been accepted and will receive more than $8m in funding.
Federal transport minister Michael McCormack confirmed the move, which will see the hub act as the nation’s central, neutral collection point for data of all freight transport system users – private companies, regulators, state transport departments and other government agencies.
iMOVE CRC released its federal government-commissioned report recommending establishment of a National Freight Data Hub to track freight use and identify choke-points and congestion across Australia.
The Freight Data Requirements Study found a highly fragmented environment in which much data is collected but its inconsistency and dispersed storage severely reduces its usefulness.
“Despite each company’s fierce independence, we now have to work together to coordinate the movement of goods along supply chains. And that is going to require active sharing of information (freight data) amongst the relevant stakeholders,” the report says.
Read more about the 2019-20 Budget allocation for transport, here
iMOVE managing director Ian Christensen adds: “The expanding population and the growing popularity of online shopping are dramatically increasing the national freight task.
“iMOVE expects this to increase by 75 per cent in 20 years (2011-2031) and that means, more trucks, more freight trains, and vehicles operating more hours every day.
“In a country as large and yet as intensely urbanised as Australia, freight supply chains play a key role.
“The efficiency of these freight supply chains materially impacts on our productivity performance and, ultimately, living standards.
“These new datasets will provide valuable information about current and future congestion choke-points and where scarce public investment should be best directed.”
Christensen says the economic gains from making better use of freight date were significant.
McCormack confirmed a Budget commitment of $8.5 million for the project, including $5.2 million for its design, including arrangements for data collection, protection, dissemination and hosting; and $3.3 million for the establishment of a freight data exchange pilot to allow industry to access freight data in real time and a survey of road usage for freight purposes.
“Industry has called for better freight data and we are delivering. We know better data makes better decisions and that means jobs and opportunities can flow, especially in the regions,” McCormack says.
McCormack adds reforms build on the 20-year National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy, which recommends benchmarking freight performance through identifying, collecting and sharing data.