A NEW tax proposed for truck freight at the Port of Melbourne could inflict a major financial blow on the region, prompting Member for Mildura Jade Benham to call on the Victorian Government to reconsider.
Documents from the Department of Transport and Planning reveal that a road freight tax is being actively considered for trucks loading and unloading at the port, which is a major export and import hub.
It is believed the Victorian Government will charge a per-container tax of at least $100 on trucks delivering freight to the port, with the rate depending on the size and age of the vehicle.
The proposed tax is believed to be going towards funding the Port Rail Shuttle Network project, which is intended to modernise Melbourne’s existing transport networks to remove congestion around the port.
Ms Benham called on the state government to rule out the “ludicrous approach” that would “raise the cost of freight on roads”.
“Instead of making rail more competitive by investing in it, this will simply make road freight more expensive and is no solution to Labor’s long neglect of Victoria’s rail freight network,” Ms Benham said.
“Not to mention, the state of our roads are far from the standard to be carrying additional freight.
“Labor should fix the rail freight network in order to bring costs down rather than impose a sneaky tax that will do little to improve freight route efficiency and will be passed on to Victorian families who will pay more for goods.”
The Victorian Government said that the Port Rail Shuttle Network project would be “an opportunity to make a real difference to the way freight moves around Melbourne, reducing truck numbers in the inner city, removing congestion around the port and giving industry a more cost-effective way to get their products to market”.
A spokesperson for the Victorian Government said the Department of Transport and Planning is examining further options to boost the rail freight network in an attempt to get more trucks off the roads.
“We’ve invested over a quarter of a billion dollars to support rail freight, so operators can run heavier and faster trains more often, while reducing emissions and congestion around the port,” the spokesperson said.
“We will continue to work closely with industry to determine which policy settings are most appropriate.”
The state government said while a number of policy and operational matters are being considered, no decisions have been made.
