The newly established Freight Industry Reference Panel held its first meeting on Wednesday July 15, kick-starting its vital work to drive delivery of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy.
Scott Buchholz, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport said the key role of the panel is driving ambition for the strategy and acting as a vital conduit for industry views and providing independent advice on progress made.
“Our COVID-19 response has shown us how quickly and effectively we can improve our freight systems when all levels of government and industry work together towards a common purpose,” Scott said.
“That’s exactly what the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy is about, as it lays out a 20-year plan showing how governments and industry will work together to lift our freight networks’ performance.”
Scott said he has been involved in the freight industry for many years and knows how vital an efficient freight supply chain is to the lives of all Australians as it “connects hard-working local businesses to markets to underpin jobs, the national economy and our future prosperity”.
John Fullerton, Panel Chair said the panel was thrilled to begin working on this critical initiative and was looking forward to working with and hearing from all sectors of the freight industry on the delivery of the strategy.
“As we act to respond to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, we also need to maintain our focus on meeting our long-term freight challenges to support a bigger and more productive Australia and to secure a prosperous future for this critical industry,” he said.
“Big or small, we know industry stakeholders of all levels remain strongly committed and want to see progress on the strategy as quickly as possible
“That’s why we’ll be working hard to ramp-up momentum on the strategy, with each of the panel members bringing a depth of knowledge and a range of experiences from across all freight modes and supply chains.”
John said the panel’s advice to government will present a holistic, cross-network, multi-modal view and he looks forward to working with these members on this critical goal.
The panel will provide independent advice to the Transport and Infrastructure Ministers on the delivery of the strategy’s goals during the annual reporting cycle.