Welcome to the Official Publication of ICHCA Australia Ltd

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IN THIS ISSUE

• Chairman's Christmas Message
 
• Congratulations to the ICHCA Australia Team
 
• New CEO for Austrade
 
• Toll Roads to Fund SA Priority Projects
 
• Crops Stand up to Dry
 
• Piracy Down but Risks Remain
 
• Australia’s Nation Brand Harnessed
 
• Have a Say in Melbourne’s Future
 
• No Quick Fix for SA Transport Network
 
• NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan
 
• Supply Chain Mentoring
 
• SA Major Projects List
 
• ARTC Appointments
 
• Shipping Line Investment at Port of Long Beach
 
• Moorebank Intermodal Appointments



Chairman’s Christmas Message

The last year has been a very busy one for ICHCA Australia. Many of you would have attended the International Biennial Conference, held at the Langham in Melbourne during May, and your support as a delegate and the support of our sponsors are well recognised, thank you for your support.

The team from ICHCA Australia that organised & managed the conference have been thanked in previous newsletters, but I will take this opportunity to thank them again for a job well done.

We continue to maintain a dialogue with various Commonwealth Government Departments and met with senior officials in Canberra during September 2012. This is an opportunity for member’s industry concerns to be raised at the highest level, so please let us know in August 2013 if you have any items that you wish us to discuss with the Departments.

We generally meet with the Australian Customs Service, ABS, AMSA, DFAT, DAFF, Austrade & the Department of Infrastructure & Transport.

I attended the ICHCA International board meeting in London early November this year. The International body is working well and our new Technical Expert, Captain Richard Brough OBE, has picked up the baton from Mike Compton following his retirement, and continues to work on current issues with the IMO & ILO. ICHCA has taken a lead in the debate over container weights & represents our members from the Terminal, Stevedoring & Shipping Industries at meetings with the IMO. We also arranged a seminar in London at which the major players in the maritime industry were able to express their views and to hear from ICHCA the latest discussions on this somewhat controversial subject.

Following the retirement of John Strang from the International Board, the board members at the meeting in London resolved that John’s long support for ICHCA and his continuing role in representing ICHCA overseas deserved special recognition and determined that John should be formally recognised as “ICHCA Ambassador”, a small token of the recognition so well deserved. John will continue on the board of ICHCA Australia and I am very pleased that he has agreed to do so. Thank you John from all of us at ICHCA.

My thanks to all the ICHCA Team and to our members, we would not exist without your support.
I wish you & your families a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Tony Grant
Chairman ICHCA Australia Ltd.


Congratulations to the ICHCA Australia Team

ICHCA Australia has had a busy and successful year in 2012.  Our thanks to our Chairman and  Board, our members and those that are associated with and support ICHCA.

Special thanks also go to all our national and State ‘volunteers’ – and those that are not in the spotlight but without whom we could not succeed. Without naming all of them, I thought I might name a few to illustrate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

Inside ICHCA: this flagship monthly e-newsletter is put together each month and distributed to over 1,200 industry/government people in Australia and overseas. Our thanks to Jodie Campbell and Gary for their editorial role and to Sallie Strang for her vital role in formatting the newsletter, keeping the distribution list up to date and getting the monthly edition out on time.

ICHCA’s Website: Maintaining a website is no easy task and our special thanks to Deb Warda for not only keeping us ‘current’ but also for her outstanding creativity in maintaining our 'professional' image.

State Events: Last but not least our State Chairmen and committees deserve our thanks for the events they organise for our members and associates. Of particular note, our thanks go to ICHCA South Australia for its regular luncheons on great  topics with a variety of excellent speakers. This Chapter is  lead most capably by its Chairman,  Neil Murphy, supported by his Deputy Chair, Wayne Jaensch, State Secretary, Michael Simms, and other members.

May Christmas time bring us all peace, joy and hope and the New Year health, happiness and success.

Best Regards

Ian Lovell
Company Secretary
ICHCA Australia
Mobile: 0400 708 182


New CEO for Austrade
 
Bruce Gosper has been appointed as the next CEO of the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade). Mr Gosper, who will start on 1 February 2013, has worked extensively on Australia's trade and commercial relationships, both in Australia and overseas. He is currently a Deputy Secretary with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

He will replace Peter Grey who has retired on after more than 40 years of government service.  Before becoming Austrade CEO, Mr Grey served as Ambassador to Japan; Ambassador in Brussels with responsibility for the European Union, NATO, Belgium and Luxembourg; and Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. He had been appointed Deputy Secretary to DFAT in 1994 and concurrently was Chief Trade Negotiator and the first Ambassador for APEC. Earlier in his career, Mr Grey had responsibility for a range of commercial issues at the Australian Embassies in Washington and Tokyo.

At Austrade, where he has been CEO since January 2010, Mr Grey has developed and implemented the most far-reaching reform in more than two decades.

Mr Gosper brings a wealth of experience in trade negotiation to Austrade. As Deputy Secretary with DFAT, he is Australia's senior trade official, with oversight over all multilateral, regional and bilateral trade negotiations. Prior to that he was Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, where he was also Chair of the WTO General Council and the WTO Dispute Settlement Body. Mr Gosper has been head of DFAT's Office of Trade Negotiations, an adviser to the Minister for Trade and held senior diplomatic appointments as Minister (Commercial) in Washington, and Agricultural Counsellor in Tokyo. He previously worked on trade and commercial issues in the Department of Primary Industries and Energy and the Department of Trade and Resources.


Toll Roads to Fund SA’s $5.5 Billion
Priority Transport Projects

The South Australian Government should immediately investigate the introduction of toll roads to assist funding a number of key transport infrastructure projects vital to SA’s future economic growth, according to the State’s peak freight transport advisory group.

The South Australian Freight Council (SAFC) has unveiled four crucial transport infrastructure projects - with a combined cost of about $5.5 billion - that it believes are critical to the State’s future economic viability.

SAFC believes the introduction of toll roads needed to be investigated “as a matter of priority” to ensure these projects are completed as soon as practical. “Tough decisions need to be made now by the SA Government to ensure these key transport infrastructure projects – and others we have identified - are undertaken before it is too late,” said SA Freight Council CEO, Neil Murphy.

“The time has come for both the State and Commonwealth Governments, and where appropriate the private sector, to increase their investment in this State’s freight and logistics infrastructure – creating jobs during the construction phase and longer-term wealth creation and sustainability for businesses and the community,” he said.

“Toll roads are one option to quicken the pace of infrastructure delivery and should be investigated as a priority - not ruled out before meaningful debate has been had. “Road user charges are not new in Australia, particularly in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, where road tolls are already in practice.

“Tolls are accepted interstate and should undergo further serious examination for SA to ensure the projects we have identified are constructed. An efficient, effective, internationally competitive, multi-modal, state-wide freight system is essential in enabling the State to achieve the social and economic future it demands,” Mr Murphy said.

“A fundamental objective of this system is the provision of relevant, timely and accessible infrastructure.” SAFC’s Moving Freight report is aimed at improving South Australia’s deteriorating transport network. Key projects identified in it include:

• A free-flowing North-South Corridor (cost $4 billion-plus) based around a comprehensive upgrade of South Road, including a proposed tunnel under Port and Grange Roads. As the backbone of Adelaide’s transport system it is a critical component of SA’s long-term economic prosperity.

• An accelerated road maintenance program to alleviate a maintenance deficit that has exponentially increased from the State Government’s estimate of $160 million in 2003 (not including roads under the care and control of Local Government) to over $250 million.

• Transport infrastructure to support the expanding mining industry including the development of key deep water ports and road and rail links to service the mining sector across SA (conservatively estimated to exceed $1 billion of public and private sector investment) .

• Addressing “Last Mile” road access issues through critical upgrades and access improvements, and creating more rest facilities on high productivity vehicle routes for heavy vehicles across the State ($220 million-plus over a 20 year period). A load of freight may be travelling 1000kms or just 10kms, but if road access is denied to loading or unloading locations for heavy combinations, operators will use smaller configurations, often for the full journey creating negative economic, social and environmental consequences.

In addition, the SA Freight Council recommends the State Government:

• Anticipates the need to expand capacity on key roads leading to and from mines. Higher-capacity routes able to accommodate high productivity vehicles such as Double and Triple Road Trains, B-Triples and new innovative road combinations which will be a necessary prerequisite for mine sustainability.

• Plans for population growth which will increase the demand for goods and services and anticipate the impacts of price signalling through road pricing levers and the carbon tax by encouraging the use of larger and more economical, safer and environmentally friendly heavy vehicles in the community.

• Mandates that all Structure Plans adjacent to key freight corridors and facilities incorporate design details for appropriate policies which ensure the free flowing nature of freight corridors and insulates the community against negative environmental outcomes (noise, odour etc.).

“It is now necessary for the state to develop a statewide, integrated multi-modal Transport Plan to guide transport network and system development into the future,” Mr Murphy said. “We have raised the idea of toll roads as we acknowledge funding available to all governments for transport infrastructure spending is presently constrained by falling revenues and competing demands from other sectors,” he said.

“Nonetheless, governments at all three levels have a responsibility to facilitate investment in transport infrastructure and to set the appropriate investment environment which encourages private sector involvement where appropriate. “It is time SA ventured into the 21st Century, and like many jurisdictions around the world, introduced road user charges to facilitate the construction of these projects of state importance.”


Australia's Crops Stand up to Dry Conditions

Australia’s cropping sector is in positive shape despite dry seasonal conditions, the Australian Crop Report has found. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, welcomed the report that was released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).
 
“Total winter crop production is forecast by ABARES to be around 14% higher than the average achieved over the five years to 2010–11. This is welcome news for grain producers,” Senator Ludwig said.

The Australian Crop Report also forecast a strong summer crop, with production to remain largely unchanged from last season at about 5.5 million tonnes.

Minister Ludwig said the area planted to summer crops is estimated to be just below 1.6 million hectares, with the area planted to grain sorghum forecast to increase by about 16% to 762,000 hectares. “Favourable grains prices and falling cotton prices have made grain sorghum a more attractive option to producers than dryland cotton,” he said. “The area planted to rice is also forecast to rise, reflecting plentiful supplies of irrigation water in southern NSW.”

Minister Ludwig said while he was pleased with the forecast, he was aware that farmers in some areas were not doing so well. “Agriculture is a patchwork and while many farmers are experiencing a good season, it’s important to remember that across our nation the conditions are many and varied.”

The Australian Crop Report is available at www.daff.gov.au/abares/publications.


International Efforts Keep Piracy
Down: But Risks Remain

The Director of Combined Maritime Forces in the Gulf region says international efforts have led to a fall in piracy attacks against merchant shipping and local fishing vessels, but the risk to trade remains high.

The International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre reported just one attempted attack by Somali pirates from July 2012 to September 2012, compared with 36 incidents in the same three month period last year.

Speaking from CMF’s Headquarters in Bahrain, RAN Captain Bruce Legge said that while the figures are encouraging, it does not signal an end to piracy nor a dramatic improvement to maritime security in the region. “Our area of responsibility here stretches across a challenging 2.5 million square kilometres – an area about the size of mainland Australia,” Captain Legge said.

“The decrease in piracy is due in a large part to the ongoing coordinated efforts of the CMF counter-piracy Taskforce 151, with the Task Forces from the EUNAVFOR and NATO. The RAN always has a frigate in the region conducting maritime security patrols – right now that frigate is HMAS Anzac. However, local factors also played a part in the IMB reported statistics, including an increased awareness of piracy by the merchant ships and fishing vessels and the southwest monsoon period which prevents pirates getting off the beach in Somalia. Nonetheless, the encouraging fact is that we are not seeing a dramatic upsurge in piracy now that the monsoon season has ended.”

While unrest and lack of governance in Somalia has been widely attributed to providing the conditions necessary to perpetuate the sort of maritime piracy where ships are held for ransom, in recent months there has been a change in the presidency and government which is seeking to rectify the instability of the nation.

There has been a significant growth in international shipping and container traffic in recent years. The Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in general are critical to global trade. It is said that more than 23,000 ships per year passage through the Gulf of Aden, either going to or from the Suez Canal.

“As our Chief of Navy has recently stated, the Indian Ocean is critical to the end-to-end global trading system on which Australia depends,” Captain Legge said.

“Whether ships come through the Gulf of Aden, the Suez Canal or through the Strait of Hormuz – the goods or material they carry might not be bound for Australia, but they are almost certainly bound for one of our major trading partners.”



 

Exporters to Harness the Power
of Australia’s Nation Brand

The Brand Australia Program has announced a new partnership with the Export Council of Australia to trade on Australia’s status as one of the world’s most popular nations. The Export Council of Australia is the peak industry body for the Australian export community. Under the arrangement, the council will licence its members to use Australia Unlimited logos, images and digital content, encouraging the uptake of consistent national branding.

The Government launched Australia Unlimited in 2010 through the Austrade-managed Brand Australia Program, aiming to broaden perceptions of the country as a modern, innovative economy.

Research shows Australia’s reputation has improved since then, with global studies now consistently showing Australia is one of the world’s most admired nations. The Reputation Institute’s latest annual CountryRepTrak survey, for example, found people in G8 advanced economies now rank Australia second out of 50 countries on economic, social and aesthetic factors.

Austrade’s Executive Director of Australian Operations, Tim Beresford, said there had never been a better time to partner with Australia Unlimited. “A strong country brand is the best gift a nation can give its exporters,” Mr Beresford said.

“The more others trust, admire and respect Australia, the more likely they are to invest in our people, ideas and products and to send their children to study in our universities. Australia Unlimited feeds into this positive sentiment, as well as providing exporters with a convenient way of harnessing it,” Mr Beresford said.

Executive Director of the Export Council of Australia, Ian Murray, said the council had been a strong supporter of the Brand Australia Program and was proud to become an official partner. “In 2009, the Export Council of Australia participated in a series of discussions about the importance of the image Australia projects for exporters and the ways in which industry might benefit from and contribute to updating Brand Australia. Those conversations resulted in the Building Brand Australia Program,” Mr Murray said.

“When Australian exporters think about their international marketing strategy, they should be thinking about how to make the most of their ‘Australianness’, and how to emphasise qualities, ideas and skills that will help enhance Australia’s image over time. The best way to make the most of ‘Australianness’ of course, is to use the Australia Unlimited brand and we will be helping our members to do so,” Mr Murray said.


Have Your Say in Shaping Melbourne’s Future

ICHCA Australia has been invited to provide feedback on the recently released discussion paper ‘Melbourne, let’s talk about the future’. It sets out nine principles to inform the Metropolitan Planning Strategy. Five of these principles identify outcomes that need to be addressed and four principles on how they can be achieved.

The new strategy will consider and integrate land use and transport planning and provide a blueprint for the next 30-40 years.

Visit http://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/ to download a copy of the paper, subscribe to the planning strategy newsletter and register interest in attending upcoming events in 2013.  Feedback on the discussion paper closes on Friday 1 March 2013.

For further information please email planmelbourne@dpcd.vic.gov.au or call our
Information Victoria call centre  - 1300 366 356


No Quick Fix for SA’s Run Down Transport Network
 
• By South Australian Freight Council CEO Neil Murphy

Every motorist who drives in South Australia is – or should be - acutely aware of the rapidly declining condition of our roads. At last count, the amount of money needed to address a backlog of road maintenance was about $250 million and climbing.

The Commonwealth Grants Commission found that while governments are currently spending $79 for every man, woman and child in SA - the national average is $280 - they need to increase that to $320 if the State has any hope of catching up/addressing the backlog issue.

The recent release of the SA Freight Council’s Moving Freight Infrastructure Statement was a result of broad consultation with the industry (including freight service customers) and the community over the past few years.

It has naturally created robust debate regarding the need for greater investment in the State’s transport network and the Council’s suggestion that toll roads are an option that should be seriously considered, not dismissed out of hand.

But toll roads are not the only issue raised in the report. It contains a series of transport infrastructure projects and concepts that we believe will benefit user industries (mining and the like), the community as a whole, as well as the transport and logistics industry.

And it is not just about roads.

The report, by its very name, has something for every mode – road, rail, sea and air – and something for metropolitan Adelaide and rural SA communities.  After all, every South Australian benefits from economic development, we all share the transport network and we all benefit from the movement of freight.

It is the livelihood/backbone of our community.

Therein lies the problem – we all want a better transport network but governments of all persuasions are strapped for cash.

Accelerated road maintenance is a key project that the SAFC  believes needs to be addressed as a priority. Every truck driver and motorist who drives in SA is acutely aware of the deteriorating condition of our roads. And there is not enough money being spent on maintaining the network to a fit-for-purpose standard.

The longer that we delay sustained investment in a comprehensive maintenance regime, the more it will cost us to fix.

To its credit, the State Government has increased spending on transport infrastructure in recent years, including on maintenance. But much more needs to be done - much more needs to be spent.

This leads us to the conundrum. Governments need to spend more but they have limited available funds. The coffers are bare. That is why the Council suggested that toll toads should be considered.

Shift some of the funding risk to the private sector. Make toll road investments more attractive to our super funds as longer term investments. The private sector already invests in ports, airports and railways, as well as power, water, hospitals and other infrastructure – why not our roads?

The network is dilapidated and needs an injection of funds. But where should the money go when, and if, it becomes available? Which rail project will be funded first? Which new port proposal will be offered to the private sector? Which element of the road network is the priority for increased maintenance? What will guide our future investment in the transport network? Is future investment in the network being planned in an appropriate and co-ordinated way? I suspect that it is – but who would know?

Governments of all persuasions - State, Federal and Local - have for many years avoided the development of a long term (20-30 years at least) Transport Plan for the whole of SA, not just for Adelaide - a plan that should guide, but not be set in concrete.  A plan that can evolve over time - not just a collection of projects that makes up our Statewide Infrastructure Plan, not just a collection of high level aspirational goals for our statewide transport needs that are contained within our State Strategic Plan.

We need a Transport Plan now, and it needs to incorporate sub-strategies for freight, cycling, public transport and the like.

A plan that:

• not only provides for current demand, but also anticipates future needs
• accommodates the commuting needs of our burgeoning population
• effectively and efficiently links centres of activity (in both Adelaide and regional areas)
• supports  the needs of expanding industry sectors such as mining
• covers all four transport modes – road, rail, sea and air - and all users including commuters, cyclists, walkers and the freight industry.

A Transport Plan in itself cannot fix all of our transport ills, but it can guide future development and can alleviate current community perceptions/fears that it is all a bit piecemeal at the moment as we move forward towards a bright and uncongested future.

And it can guide the government and community about where the money should be spent when budgets inevitably recover from the current fiscal tightness.

A copy of the Moving Freight document can be downloaded at http://www.safreightcouncil.com.au/publications.asp.


NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan Released

The final NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan has been released, with the aim of bringing together all types of transport across all regions of the State into an integrated, modern system that puts the customer first. The Master Plan sets a clear direction for transport in NSW for the next 20 years.

The Master Plan is the result of extensive consultation with the people of NSW, experts, the community and customers.

A number of actions identified in the Master Plan are well underway including the Opal card trial, North West Rail Link, South West Rail Link, Northern Sydney Freight Corridor, Pacific and Princes Highways, WestConnex, Bridges for the Bush and CBD and South East Light Rail.

Detailed planning has also started on others including the Second Harbour Crossing and precinct Improvement Plan for Port Botany and Sydney Airport.

An electronic copy and summary version of the Master Plan can be downloaded from www.transportmasterplan.nsw.gov.au.

For more information, email masterplan@transport.nsw.gov.au, call 1800 802 888 or write to The NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan team, Transport for NSW PO Box K659, Haymarket NSW 1240.


Supply Chain Mentoring Program 2013

Mentoring is an excellent way of ensuring that up and coming supply chain managers and logisticians develop the right skills.
The LAA/apics Mentoring Program, now entering its 10th year, offers mentees a great opportunity to talk through the issues they may be facing in their work life and to explore the options available to them in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. They can listen to the experiences of the mentors and determine the right way for them to overcome obstacles in their day-to-day roles and in their career development. 

For mentors, the program offers an opportunity to develop important skills - particularly listening, idea facilitation and leadership.  It's also an excellent opportunity to contribute or give-back to Australia Supply Chain industry in a time efficient manner.

Although the program is supply chain industry based, participants have varying job descriptions and operate in a variety of sectors.  This diversity affords participants the benefit of varied perspectives which enhances and broadens the learning opportunity.

Participants are provided with upfront mentoring training so that they can better manage and optimize their mentoring meetings.  A site visit and a structured follow-up session also form part of the program, ensuring that participants have an opportunity to network with the broader group and are deriving benefit from the program.

For details go to www.laa.asn.au.


$94 Billion in Major Development
Projects Listed for SA

The South Australian Government has released its annual Major Developments directory that sets a total value of projects at $94 billion.

New projects are estimated at $17 billion. Key major projects include: $10 billion for future submarines, $10 billion investment in the Cooper Basin by Santos, $8 billion for the SEA 4000 Air Warfare Destroyers, $3.5 billion for Altona Energy’s Arcaringa coal-to-liquids and power plant, $3 billion for Strike Energy’s Kingston Liggnite project, $2.6 billion for Iron Road’s Central Eyre Iron project, $2 billion for Buckland Park development and $2 billion for Gulf Harbour Wakefield Waters project.

Others include the GMH project valued at $1.3 billion over 10 years.

Full details can be obtained from the DMITRE website: http://www.dmitre.sa.gov.au/directory/entry


Chair and Directors Re-appointed to ARTC

John Caldon, Pamela Catty and Barry Cotter have been reappointed to the board of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). The corporation is a wholly government owned company that manages the nation's interstate rail network.

Mr Caldon has been re-appointed as a director and chair, a position he has held since 2010. His re-appointment until January 2015 is in recognition of his proven ability to provide the organisation with purpose and direction, particularly as it continues the rollout of the largest capital works program in generations.

Ms Catty and Mr Cotter have also been re-appointed to the Board as directors.  Both have brought a wealth of experience to the board and will continue to serve for a further three years until March 2016.

The ARTC's multi-billion modernisation of the interstate freight rail network is central to the Commonwealth’s broader efforts to lift national productivity, curb harmful carbon emissions and take the pressure off the nation's highways.


Major Shipping Line Invests in Port of Long Beach

CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping line, has purchased a stake in the Port of Long Beach’s Pier J, a move that will bring an additional 2.6 million container units to the port and increase port revenues by about $70 million over the next five years.

Pier J is home to Pacific Container Terminal. With a water depth of about 50 feet and 17 post-Panamax gantry cranes, it is one of the few terminals in the world capable of servicing the new generation of giant container ships.

Pacific Container Terminal has been operated as a joint venture between global maritime services company SSA Marine and COSCO, a China-based ocean carrier. CMA CGM became a partner in the venture in November and officially announced the agreement on December 11.

CMA CGM vessels have been calling at the port for many years, but the new arrangement gives the shipping line a West Coast homeport and strengthens the bond with Long Beach.

“This first new investment for our Group on the US West Coast will reinforce our position in North America,” said Farid Salem, CMA CGM Group Executive Officer. “It demonstrates CMA CGM’s strong involvement to develop transport infrastructure and to improve quality of service to our customers. By investing in Pier J, the Group ensures that the largest vessels deployed in the trans-Pacific trade will be efficiently managed.”

CMA CGM operates a fleet of 395 vessels calling at 400 ports around the world, on every continent and in 150 countries. CMA CGM also calls at Long Beach’s Pier A.

The Port of Long Beach is one of the world's premier seaports, a primary gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in innovative goods movement, safety and environmental stewardship. A major economic engine for the region, the Port handles more than six million container units a year and trade valued at more than $155 billion that supports hundreds of thousands of Southern California jobs.


Chair and Board Announced for
Moorebank Intermodal Company

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese and Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Penny Wong, have announced the establishment of the Moorebank Intermodal Company and the appointment of the chair and directors to its board.

The Moorebank Intermodal Company - which will be a government business enterprise - has been established to optimise private sector development of an open-access Intermodal Terminal (IMT) at Moorebank, in south western Sydney.

Dr Kerry Schott has been appointed as chair of the company. Claire Filson, Andrew Fraser, Stephen Williams and Ray Wilson have been appointed as directors.

“The Moorebank IMT is a nationally significant project that could potentially transform the movement of freight along the east coast, so it is appropriate that we have appointed a board with strong commercial skills and experience to drive the project forward,” Mr Albanese said.

“It's forecast that once up and running, the IMT could remove 1.2 million trucks each year from Sydney's roads - that's equivalent to 3,300 trucks per day.”

“With container freight in Sydney set to more than triple by 2030and the city's road network already heavily congested, the project represents a welcome relief for residents and businesses.”

Ms Wong said Dr Schott brings significant experience. “Dr Schott has a strong record of practice in the NSW public sector as well as business sector, and significant financial and leadership experience.”

Earlier this year, the Government released a detailed business case which calculated the IMT would generate $10 billion in economic benefits through improved productivity, reduced business costs, reduced road congestion and better environmental outcomes.

Dr Kerry Schott: Dr Schott has 15 years investment banking experience, including as Managing Director of Deutsche Bank and Executive Vice President of Bankers Trust Australia. Dr Schott is currently a Director of NBN Co Limited; Director of NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp); and a member of the Infrastructure Australia Board, Whitlam Institute and State Contracts Control Board.

Claire Filson: Ms Filson has strong experience in construction law in regulatory and private sector settings. She has exposure in public private partnerships (PPPs) from both sides (public and private). Ms Filson has strong commercial and financial skills with extensive experience working with audit and risk committees. Ms Filson's current affiliations are: Director of Port of Hastings Development Authority; and Director of Victoria Pharmacy Authority.

Andrew Fraser: Mr Fraser has experience in the delivery and oversight of large infrastructure projects in the transport, rail and logistics sectors. He is trained as a lawyer and has experience in financial analysis and budgets. Mr Fraser was Queensland Deputy Premier and Treasurer.

Stephen Williams: Mr Williams has a strong project finance background and has led deal teams from a borrower and lender perspective. He has skills and experience in investment appraisal, strong commercial and risk sharing appreciation and a thorough understanding of private sector finance and investment, gained from both an industry and finance sector perspective. Mr Williams' experience includes CEO, Country Executive and Head of Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Australia (2008 October2012).

Ray Wilson: Mr Wilson has a strong background in accounting, investment banking and large scale infrastructure development. Mr Wilson is a Founding Principal and Director of Plenary Group, which is an international infrastructure business. Mr Wilson's experience also includes Head of Infrastructure and Head of Debt Markets and Securitisation at Barclays Bank/ABN AMRO.

IAL’s Privacy Policy Details are available by contacting the National Secretary, Ian Lovell, on e-mail ian.lovell@bigpond.com or telephone 0400 708 182.