Ports Australia agrees with the NSW Government’s view outlined in the beginning of the NSW Draft Freight and Ports Plan (pg. 5) that freight and port networks are fundamental to our economy and that the State’s future economic growth and prosperity are built on the safe, efficient and reliable movement of goods. Unfortunately, the intent of this view is neither included in the key actions for creating a future transport system (pg. 5), nor fully comprehended in the rest of the document.

The future planning and management of the ports network in the NSW Draft Freight and Ports Plan (outlined in the Priority Action Areas) is drafted at a very high level. While this may be warranted to allow scope for actions, the subsequent section (Section 5) outlines limited actions that correlate with the Priority Action Areas. As a result, the document lacks clarity and is likely to raise ambiguity among the community and uncertainty for businesses looking to invest.

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