Shipping Australia’s New South Wales 2022 Winter Parliamentary Luncheon was held yesterday (Thursday 27 May 2022) at Parliament House in Sydney.
The guest of honour and guest speaker was the Honourable David Elliott, Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly, and who is the NSW Minister for Transport and Minister for Veterans.
Minister Elliott acknowledged the importance of shipping. “The shipping industry is vital to Australia, and integral to NSW, underwriting our prosperity by connecting our commodities with the world and also brining in the imports we rely upon each and every day,” he told the luncheon guests.
Noting that there has been shocks and volatility affecting the ports and shipping industries, and the supply chain as a whole, he asserted that the NSW Government is committed to ensuring it can meet the challenges and support the economy.
Minister Elliott gave a short update on the cruise industry, which was effectively suspended during the COVID crisis and which has now resumed ship calls in Australia.
“There wasn’t a dry-eye amongst those gathered on the 18th of April to welcome home the first cruise ship since the pandemic it – it was a momentous occasion to mark a critical milestone in our recovery,” he said, adding, “it’s the resilience shown by our colleagues in the industry where they bounce back better that makes me so proud to represent your industry as the Minister for Transport.”
He acknowledged the work of the Port Authority of NSW in delivering a world-first in creating the first shore-powered dry bulk shipping precinct delivering 100% renewable energy and the first shore-powered cruise terminal in the southern hemisphere. He noted that this initiative will remove up to 14,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere over 12 months, “the equivalent of taking around 4,000 cars off the roads every year”, he said. He added that the achievement was only possible because of the $60 million investment by the Port Authority to transform Glebe Island and White Bay.
Turning to freight, he noted that Port Botany had welcomed two new record-breaking arrivals at Port Botany, with large vessels – the MSC Le Havre and the MSC Tokyo – being berthed. He noted that the arrival of both these ships has been assisted by Dynamic Under Keel Clearance technology.
Minister Elliott also noted that the NSW Government had commissioned work to explore a Port Community System for NSW and that industry feedback indicated that the study could be expanded to cover the whole supply chain, including road, rail, air and intermodals.
Meanwhile, the strategic case for a Freight Community System was completed in December 2021 and it is currently undergoing a a review and assurance process, which is envisage to complete by August 2022.
Shipping Australia would like to thank Minister Elliott for his time and for giving this update at our NSW Winter Luncheon yesterday.
