The Australian maritime industry directly contributed $9 billion to the Australian economy in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012-13. Indirectly, a further $11.8 billion was conAccording to Freightline, a publication generated by the Australian Government, in 2011-12 (the most recent data), Coastal Shipping represented 16.8% of domestic freight by volume. Rail represented 48.5%, road 34.6% and airfreight .01%. Total freight volumes have quadrupled over the past four decades, predominantly due to significant growth in road freight and, more recently, strong growth in mining related rail freight volumes.
The Australian freight task is diverse, and encompassed the movement of bulk export commodities, such as iron ore, coal, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and grains, the transport of imported motor vehicles, machinery and other manufactured goods, and the transport of finished products for household consumption through distribution centres to retail outlets.
Within this, the shipping and ports are an important interface with the land dreight task, transporting Australian-made goods and raw materials between major domestic centres and gateways for international trade.
Coastal shipping is responsible for around 17 per cent of total domestic freight movements (measured in mass distance terms) and comprises 10 per cent of total freight volumes through Australian ports. Bulk commodities such as aluminium ores, iron ore and petroleum, account for over 70 per cent of domestic coastal shipping movements – transport of bauzite between Weipa and Gladstone (in Queensland) and iron ore from the Pilbara to Port Kembla alone accounted for 30 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively of total domestic sea freight. Eastern states – Perth and Bass Strait shipping together account for over 18 per cent of total coaqstal shipping movements.
Growth in Australia’s freight task is projected to continue over the next two decades with total domestic freight projected to grow 80 per cent, between 2010 and 2030, underpinned by strong growth in domestic movements of bulk commodity exports, particularly iron ore and coal.
