General News
12 September, 2024
Port operations consolidated
Heavy-vehicle drivers operating between the Wimmera Mallee and the Port of Melbourne can look forward to having easier access and enhanced facilities thanks to a state government initiative.
Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne announced on Friday that the 29-hectare former Melbourne Market site would be leased to the Port of Melbourne until 2066.
The 42-year deal was finalised in a bid to move trucks off local roads in inner western Melbourne and inject millions of dollars into the economy.
"The Port of Melbourne is Australia’s busiest container port, handling more than a third of Australia’s containerised trade," Ms Horne said.
"Equivalent to more than 14 MCGs, the old Melbourne Market site has the potential to further increase the port’s capacity by an additional one million 20-foot containers annually, boosting trade and making Victoria’s supply chains more efficient and resilient."
Ms Horne said currently shipping companies stored their containers at small sites across the city's west.
However, the new site would enable companies to store their containers nextdoor to the port, helping minimise truck trips through suburbs in Melbourne’s inner west including Footscray, Yarraville, Tottenham, Brooklyn and Seddon.
"The site will also better support truck drivers by providing a dedicated space for them to refuel and take a break," Ms Horne said.
"This builds on the government’s $10.2 million in theVictorian Budget 24-25 for new camera technology to enforce our legislated 24/7 truck bans on roads in the inner west, taking 9000 trucks off local roads when the West Gate Tunnel opens."
Ms Horne said the lease was a further step to secure Victoria's supply chains and ensure the state remained Australia’s freight and logistics capital, with a $36 billion freight sector that employed 260,000 Victorians.
Much of the former Melbourne Markets site is currently being used to support the delivery of the West Gate Tunnel and other major transport infrastructure projects.
“This is a great deal for Victoria – we’re getting more trucks off local roads, increasing the amount of freight the Port of Melbourne can handle and boosting trade and the economy while strengthening Victoria’s supply chains,” Ms Horne said.
Member for Footscray Katie Hall added: “Through this lease, the West Gate Tunnel and our investment in truck ban enforcement technology, we’re getting trucks off local roads in Melbourne’s west and returning them to local people.”
Port of Melbourne CEO Saul Cannon was understandably ecstatic.
“For a city port in Australia’s soon-to-be largest city, the site’s strategic location and proximity to existing port functions enables a strategic transformation of the port precinct that will enhance supply chain efficiencies, reinforcing Victoria’s position as the freight and logistics capital of Australia,” Mr Cannon said.