Knowledge Centre

About four billion tonnes of goods are delivered across Australia each year – 163 tonnes of freight for every person. In 2020-21, 230 tonne kilometres (TKM) of non-bulk freight was moved using road freight, compared with 111.9TKM moved on rail. As Infrastructure Australia has observed, growing congestion on our roads and railways impacts the timeliness and costs to moving freight – a problem only set to worsen with the...

Australia is an expansive country and is subject to frequent extreme weather events including floods, cyclones and bushfires. These events cause significant disruption to supply chains and communities from country to coast. The criticality of maintaining supply chains to ensure essential goods and supplies can reach communities has been demonstrated time and time again in recent years. Whether it be toilet paper, medical supplies or food and groceries, recent disruptions demonstrate Australia is...

Infrastructure Australia has noted that rapidly changing land use and development can place pressure on urban transport networks. The increasing density of people living in our largest cities places pressure on legacy networks, while greenfield development requires new infrastructure and services. Failure to coordinate land use and transport planning can contribute to congestion and crowding in some areas, or a lack of...

Australia is not immune to physical and cyber threats, particularly with increasing geopolitical tensions and the changing global landscape in international affairs. ALC and its members acknowledge the importance and support the intent of the Australian Parliaments recent Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Act 2022. The freight and logistics supply chain are in many respects, advanced in efforts and investment, to mitigate all hazards and cyber...

As well as improving infrastructure standards, there is a genuine requirement to identify and protect critical supply chain ‘enablers’ that are fundamental to keeping freight moving, the supply chain functioning, and to the wider economy. An enabler is a mechanism, commodity or service that is necessary to support the effectiveness and efficiency of a functioning supply chain. An example that adequately illustrates the importance of...

Infrastructure Australia has noted that rapidly changing land use and development can place pressure on urban transport networks. The increasing density of people living in our largest cities adds pressure to legacy networks, while greenfield development requires new infrastructure and services. Failure to coordinate land use and transport planning can contribute to congestion and crowding in some areas, or a lack of adequate services in others. In May 2021 the Commonwealth,...

Approximately 1.2 million people are employed to keep freight moving across the end-to-end supply chain. The major subsectors of road transport, logistics, warehousing, and stevedoring employ approximately 574,000 people. This one subsector alone is projected to grow by 4.6 per cent to 600,648 by 2026. ALC has been working with members and across industry to identify the critical issues and solutions to the workforce, labour and skills problems...

NATIONAL FREIGHT & SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGYA clear National Strategy to enhance the efficiency and safety of Australia’s supply chain has been a long-term policy objective for ALC and was enthusiastically supported by industry participants, since the proposal was adopted by the Federal Government in November 2016.ALC and its members made substantial contributions to progressing development of the Strategy, beginning with the industry-led inquiry that comprehensively reviewed the sector and identified the issues that...

Transport is Australia’s third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions at 17 per cent with approximately 20 per cent of this being attributed to freight activities.The freight and supply chain sector is already on a path to emissions reduction with many ALC members committed to net zero targets by 2040 (some by 2030). This is influenced by a range of factors including access to the right technology, industry incentives, customer expectations, regulatory settings and investor sentiment as well as global capital markets.Some of the...

The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has welcomed the appointment of Ms Nicole Lockwood and Mr Mike Mrdak AO to lead an independent review of Infrastructure Australia. ALC CEO, Dr Hermione Parsons said infrastructure was a key part of ensuring the safety, efficiency and future sustainability of the Australian supply chain. “Participants across the supply chain acknowledge the need to continue investment in world-class transport...