With our population centres separated by vast distances, road transport infrastructure is critical to sustaining Australian communities, growing our economy and improving our international competitiveness.
The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) Freightline series highlights the size and scope of the Australian freight task and reveals that road freight makes up 35% of the total task—making it the second largest behind rail.
The resilience of our road-freight task depends on many factors. The COVID-19 pandemic, among other disruptions, has highlighted the importance of our logistics systems in getting goods from overseas and within Australia to consumers. We advise the Australian Government on transport reforms to improve road transport efficiency, productivity, safety and environmental performance.
Safety
Over 95% of Australia's road freight is carried on heavy vehicles, making it critical that safety regulations for heavy vehicles and all other road users are reviewed and maintained. We ensure best practice and safety are integrated into freight planning to make Australia's supply chains more robust and keep goods moving through initiatives like the Heavy Vehicle National Law Review.
The following programs are funded through the Infrastructure Investment Program to meet our national freight challenge and to get Australians home sooner and safer.