AN ANNUAL pricing window and notice periods for adjusted pricing are among recommendations from the International Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of Australia regarding landside stevedoring charges.
This is in response to the National Transport Commission's call for submissions following earlier findings by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
IFCBAA manager of border and biosecurity Brad Leonard said while stevedores acted as critical trade infrastructure providers that required ongoing investment, industry participants should be treated fairly.
“This work is critical to improving transparency, consultation, notice periods and accountability across port-interface charging practices—issues that directly affect freight forwarders customs brokers, importers and exporters,” Mr Leonard said.
“Consultation must be meaningful rather than procedural, particularly given the market power imbalance that often exists between stevedores and downstream supply chain users.”
In its review, IFCBAA stated increased transparency around the rationale for price changes, the cost drivers and service improvements claimed, and the investment or operational basis for charges, were necessary for “meaningful industry engagement”.
They also proposed stevedores provide a 60-day notice of intention and a 30-day final notice as an “appropriate minimum standard” for pricing updates.
Mr Leonard said these timeframes would provide industry participants with a reasonable opportunity to assess impacts, provide feedback and adjust commercial arrangements.
“The effectiveness of these timeframes depends on whether consultation is genuine and whether stakeholder feedback is meaningfully considered before implementation,” he said.
In its response to the annual ACCC Container Stevedoring Monitoring Report released in December 2025, IFCBAA stated it “agreed in principle with all of the ACCC’s major assessments and findings”.
“Despite persistent excess capacity, stevedoring prices and short-run profits have risen sharply,” Mr Leonard said.
“This outcome cannot be explained by higher volumes, lower costs, or productivity improvements.”
IFCBAA recommended the ACCC expand the scope of data assessment for future reports from current major stevedore terminals in capital cities to include specialist cargo handling ports, particularly those that handle break bulk and ro-ro cargo.
The peak body also “strongly supports” the expansion of guidelines to include empty container parks.
“Landside charges do not exist in isolation. Costs imposed at terminal gates increasingly flow through the broader port-interface ecosystem, including ECPs, depots and related service providers,” Mr Leonard said.
“(These include) consolidation freight stations (CFS), container freight depots, empty container parks (ECPs), PONDUS container weighing facilities, and other sea freight interface service providers that operate within the port precinct and surrounding logistics corridors.
“These facilities form an essential part of the end-to-end import and export task, particularly for LCL consolidation movements, empty container management, and compliance-related processes such as weighing and receival controls.”
He added a narrow focus on stevedores alone risked cost shifting rather than address structural pricing pressures across the container supply chain.
“Upstream drivers may not always be visible to Australian supply chain users but may contribute to pricing decisions at the port interface,” Mr Leonard said.
The NTC consultation for the National Voluntary Guidelines remains ongoing until 13 March.