AUSTRALIA’S ports are critical for our economy, handling 99 per cent of Australia’s international trade and supporting almost 700,000 jobs across the country. Despite world-class infrastructure, our maritime supply chain is hindered by fragmented digital systems, manual processes that drive up costs and regulatory complexity. The real challenge to sustainable growth isn’t the lack of technology or capability — it is the lack of integration and collaboration.
There are more than 200 legislative instruments and 40 agencies that govern trade in Australia, supported by about 130 IT systems and 20 business facing portals, all of which largely operate in isolation. This fragmentation leads to significant inefficiencies, repetitive data entry and drives up costs for both businesses and consumers. For exporters and importers, this means more paperwork, red tape and less global competitiveness.
Globally, the logistics market size is projected to reach USD $5,951 billion by 2030, with ports handling over 80 per cent of trade by volume. Australia’s Port of Melbourne alone moves more than three million TEUs annually. But unless we address this underlying fragmentation and complexity, we risk falling behind our international competitors.
The Commonwealth Secretariat estimates that paperless trade could deliver more than $1trillion in global benefits by 2026. This includes a 44 per cent reduction in border processing times and an 80 per cent reduction in transaction costs. Examining the Port of Rotterdam’s artificial intelligence (AI) driven analytics and real-time data sharing shows that optimisation can reduce turnaround times by 20% and streamline cross border operations.
What is holding us back? Too often, digitalisation efforts are undertaken in silos, with each port, agency or business optimising for its own needs. This approach misses the opportunities in the bigger picture.
To unlock the full benefits of digital transformation, we need a whole-of-ecosystem approach. One that brings together ports, customs, logistics, finance and regulators to collaborate on shared digital infrastructure and universal standards.
There is a practical roadmap to enable transformation, which follows four key phases:
Digitalisation isn’t just about speed; it is about building a more resilient and sustainable supply chain. Paperless trade has the capability to reduce carbon emissions, lower consumption and aligns with environmental, government and social (ESG) goals. As the sector faces increasing scrutiny on environmental performance, these benefits are more important than ever.
The journey to port and logistics optimisation is not just about adopting new technologies — it is about reimagining how we work together. Australia has the opportunity to lead in digital trade, but only if we move beyond piecemeal solutions. By embracing a whole-of-ecosystem mindset and structured optimisation, we can cut delays, boost efficiency and positions our ports as global leaders.
A future where Australian ports are seamlessly connected, trade flows are transparent, and business can respond swiftly to regulatory changes and market demands is not out of reach. The time to build a better future for Australia is now.
Cam Tran is a director in EY's Global Trade Advisory practice. Cam has 25 years’ experience in global trade and specialises in technology solutions that modernise trade and border management.
Nicola Rowan is a senior manager in EY's Global Trade Advisory practice with over several years experience in technical market access and trade policy.
Cam and Nicola can be contacted at cam.tran@au.ey.com and nicola.rowan@au.ey.com, respectively.