An efficient freight system in Tasmania is critical to supporting economic growth and job creation, which is the Hodgman Liberal Government’s number one priority.
Today’s release of the Tasmanian Integrated Freight Strategy represents a milestone in freight policy for Tasmania, delivering for the first time an integrated framework to guide freight planning and investment across the State.
The Strategy recognises the importance of an efficient and cost-effective freight system to Tasmanian businesses and the broader community.
The objective of the Strategy is to deliver a freight system for Tasmania that:
Infrastructure Tasmania has led the development of the Strategy, which has involved extensive consultation with businesses, freight forwarders, service operators and peak organisations.
It aligns with national processes to strengthen evidence-based approaches to infrastructure planning, and provides a solid basis to support ongoing Australian Government funding of major freight projects in Tasmania.
The Strategy identifies Tasmania’s key freight networks and assets, based on function and demand, which provides certainty to the sector about priority needs and opportunities across our freight system, and the infrastructure standards users can expect over the long-term.
Key elements of the Strategy include working with businesses to better understand the size and supply chain needs of Tasmania’s high-value, high-growth time sensitive freight market, and the development of a Burnie to Hobart freight corridor strategy that will provide a much-needed investment framework across road and rail for Tasmania’s key freight corridor.
The release of this strategy represents another important step for the Government in addressing barriers to productivity and job creation in Tasmania, and fulfils yet another election promise.
The Tasmanian Integrated Freight Strategy is available at: www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/freightstrategy