Declaring that the Victorian government is “morally obliged to act”, Ports & Freight Minister Melissa Horne recently told guests to the Shipping Australia Victoria State Committee Luncheon that: “for too long, transport has prided itself on a form of exceptionalism where we thought we were too important to change”.
It is time to “work together to make real change across the whole supply chain,” she declared.
Noting that the Victorian Government has committed to net zero by 2045, and acknowledging that the international shipping community has made a similar pledge (which refers to the recent decision of the IMO at MEPC 80 to push for net zero around 2050), she point out that the transport sector is “the outlier”.
“Emissions have declined for all major sectors except transport, where they’ve continued to grow,” she said
Adding that she “still” hears arguments that the global supply chain’s alternatives to fossil fuels are unfeasible, or too economically damaging, the Minister said that transport has lagged and that there needs to be change.
“Emissions reduction has to become core business. This is my call to action. We have such an opportunity to find positive and definitive examples of our industry taking a lead,” she told guests.
