The Victorian government plans to get more trucks off local roads through the finalisation of a 42-year lease deal with the Port of Melbourne.
Minister for ports and freight, Melissa Horne announced the 29-hectare former Melbourne Market site will be leased to Australia’s busiest container port until 2066.
Equivalent to more than 14 MCGs, the old Melbourne Market site can increase the Port’s capacity by an additional one million 20-foot containers annually, boosting trade and ensuring Victoria remains Australia’s freight and logistics capital. Victoria’s $36 billion freight sector employs 260,000 Victorians.
“This is a great deal for Victoria – we’re getting more trucks off local roads, increasing the amount of freight the Port of Melbourne can handle, boosting trade and the economy, while strengthening Victoria’s supply chains,” Horne says.
Shipping companies are currently storing their containers at small sites across the west, whereas the new site allows companies to store their containers right next to the port, minimising truck trips through suburbs in Melbourne’s inner west including Footscray, Yarraville, Tottenham, Brooklyn and Seddon.
The site will also better support truck drivers by providing a dedicated space for them to refuel and take a break.
“For a city port in Australia’s soon-to-be largest city, the site’s strategic location and proximity to existing port functions enables a strategic transformation of the Port precinct that will enhance supply chain efficiencies, reinforcing Victoria’s position as the freight and logistics capital of Australia,” says Port of Melbourne CEO Saul Cannon.
This builds on the government’s $10.2 million in the Victorian Budget for new camera technology to enforce our legislated 24/7 truck bans on roads in the inner west, which will take 9,000 trucks off local roads when the West Gate Tunnel opens.
Much of the former Melbourne Markets site is currently being used to support the delivery of the West Gate Tunnel and other major transport infrastructure projects.
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