Engineers welcome next steps in a national freight strategy
The release of the draft National Freight Strategy has been welcomed by Engineers Australia as another very timely move for addressing nationally significant infrastructure priorities.
The Chief Executive of Engineers Australia, Peter Taylor, said, “Having a national freight strategy is what is needed now to overcome a repeat of the restrictions on economic development through often poor, short-sighted and vested-interest planning in the past.
“Australia’s geography means that a web of efficient transport corridors and intermodal facilities must be integrated to maximise the benefits of our current and future growth.
“The draft National Freight Strategy is the natural extension and next step in building on the recently announced National Ports Strategy, and reaffirms the over-arching value of a structured and integrated approach to our national infrastructure issues.
“There is no doubt that there need to be serious reforms across our transport sectors, and the evidence exists in Engineers Australia’s latest Australian Infrastructure Report Card we released in November 2010.
“That report card included assessments for transport infrastructure of an overall C for Roads, D plus for Rail, B minus for Ports and B minus for Airports.
“Business and the community are right to expect an integrated multi-modal transport network that has good accessibility and reliability, but meeting those expectations will be difficult in the short and medium terms.
“However, embracing a national freight strategy will contribute significantly to a sound base for Australia’s longer-term economic welfare,” Peter Taylor concluded.
Media Contact: John Bright - 0407 234 490 / jbright@engineersaustralia.org.au
Engineers Australia is the common name of The Institution of Engineers Australia with over 95,000 members
