PUBLIC consultation on the National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedoring Charges has been welcomed, albeit concerns remain over its voluntary nature.
The latest consultation was announced this week by the National Transport Commission following a meeting of federal and state transport and infrastructure ministers in Melbourne last August.
A communique from that meeting noted plans to establish a working group to explore options and recommend steps regarding previous findings regarding stevedore charges from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Container Transport Alliance Australia director Neil Chambers said such a working group should include treasury officials from both state and commonwealth levels.
“If the ACCC was told to develop a mandatory code of conduct for container stevedore charges — quayside and landside — then that instruction would need to come from the federal treasurer or deputy treasurer, who are the responsible ministers,” Mr Chambers said.
“The wheels of government move slowly, but there seems to be a lot more momentum towards a mandatory regulatory environment.”
Mr Chambers said the ACCC could not have been clearer in its latest Monitoring Report that there had been “market failure” in the charging regimes of container stevedores.
Freight and Trade Alliance director Paul Zalai said they and the affiliated Australian Peak Shippers Association said any level of engagement on charges was welcomed, however “the proposed voluntary nature of the Guidelines remains a fundamental limitation”.
“FTA and APSA will continue to strongly advocate for a mandatory regulatory framework that provides effective oversight and delivers genuine protection for industry participants against excessive and unregulated landside charges,” Mr Zalai said
“While the voluntary protocol introduced in Victoria has imposed some procedural disciplines, it has done nothing to slow the rate of price increases.
“We see no reason to believe that expanding this framework nationally, without regulatory backing, will deliver a different outcome.”
Without mandatory regulation, Mr Zalai said the National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedoring Charges risked being symbolic rather than effective.
IFCBAA manager border and biosecurity Brad Leonard also welcomed the NTC's decision to open public consultation.
"Landside charges remain a significant and ongoing concern for freight forwarders, licensed customs brokers, and cargo owners, particularly in a market where users often have limited practical choice," Mr Leonard said.
"IFCBAA acknowledges the critical role stevedores play in Australia’s supply chain and the significant capital investment required to maintain safe, resilient and efficient terminal operations."
Mr Leonard said IFCBAA believed the best pathway forward was "a balanced and staged approach". This would involve "meaningful industry-wide consultation"; an agreed and strengthened voluntary code governing price increases and service expectations; and finally, should voluntary measures fail, consideration of a more formal regulatory framework.
Click here for more information about the NTC consultation process.