The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today issued its tenth annual monitoring report which questions the future direction of the container stevedoring industry.
"The report shows that the Australian community has benefited from the significant reforms that commenced ten years ago," ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel said. "During this time, demand for stevedoring services has doubled. The cost of using stevedoring services has fallen in real terms. In turn, the stevedoring businesses have become more productive and profitable, even during a period when significant expenditure on assets was made.
"However, as the ACCC has noted in previous reports, questions remain about the extent to which the stevedores actually compete to win each other's business. This is important when we look forward ten years and consider the high rates of demand that are forecast to continue.
"The ACCC urges State governments and port planners to ask themselves: What role can competition play in meeting Australia's future stevedoring needs? While some ports are well progressed in testing the market for new competitors, others seem to have settled for the convenience of the current duopoly.
"While the ports of Sydney and Brisbane have forged ahead, Melbourne—our largest port—is lagging behind, with a third container terminal not due to commence operation until around 2017. This is several years after new terminals are expected to be operating in Sydney and Brisbane in around 2012. Any unnecessary delays in establishing additional container terminal facilities could result in lost opportunities for greater competition. The future challenge is in coping with growth while ensuring that the incentives for improving efficiency are maintained. More intense levels of competition can not only improve efficiency but may also result in a greater share of the benefits being passed on to users and the wider community that rely on the movement of goods into and out of Australian ports."
For media inquiries to the ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, please call Ms Lin Enright, ACCC Media, on (02) 6243 1108 or 0414 613 520. For general inquiries, please call the Infocentre: 1300 302 502.