Waterline reports on trends in (a) throughput, (b) container handling productivity on the waterfront and the land side of ports in Australia, and (c) the cost of importing and exporting containers via five container ports. It covers both the loading and unloading of container ships and the transport of containers from container terminals.

This issue covers port terminal activity up to the June quarter 2018.

• Waterline No 63 PDF: 4114 KB
• Container Terminal Throughput XLSX: 45 KB
• Container Terminal Productivity XLSX: 60 KB
• VBS/TAS Operations XLSX: 39 KB
• Port Interface Cost Index XLSX: 49 KB
• Time Series Tables ZIP: 77 KB

Waterline reports on trends in (a) throughput, (b) container handling productivity on the waterfront and the land side of ports in Australia, and (c) the cost of importing and exporting containers via five container ports. It covers both the loading and unloading of container ships and the transport of containers from container terminals.

This issue covers port terminal activity up to the December quarter 2018.

• Waterline No 64
  
  water_064.pdf
  (3 MB)
• Container Terminal Throughput
  
  water_064_throughput.xlsx
  (44.99 KB)
• Container Terminal Productivity
  
  water_064_productivity.xlsx
  (59.84 KB)
• VBS/TAS Operations
  
  water_064_vbs.xlsx
  (38.54 KB)
• Port Interface Cost Index
  
  water_064_pici.xlsx
  (46.64 KB)
• Time Series Tables
  
  ZIP: 83 KB

The Australian infrastructure statistics yearbook provides a comprehensive evidence base to examine long-term and emerging trends as well as inform policy development and regulatory reform in the transport, energy, water and communications sectors. It is the only comprehensive source of time series statistics for Australia's major areas of economic infrastructure. The yearbook is accompanied by the Key Australian Infrastructure Statistics Booklet which is a summary of statistics from the yearbook.

To complement the Australian Infrastructure Statistics Yearbook, BITRE has developed an Infrastructure Construction Dashboard. The Infrastructure Construction Dashboard presents quarterly updates on transport, communications, energy and water infrastructure construction, based on the ABS Engineering Construction Activity series.

• Yearbook 2018–Australian Infrastructure Statistics
  
  infrastructure-statistics-yearbook-2018.pdf
  (13.19 MB)
• Key Australian Infrastructure Statistics 2018
  
  infrastructure-statistics-yearbook-2018-booklet.pdf
  (2.36 MB)
• Australian Infrastructure Statistics Yearbook 2018 Part I–Infrastructure and the Economy
  
  
  Part_I_Infrastructure_and_the_Economy.zip
  (87.47 KB)
• Australian Infrastructure Statistics Yearbook 2018 Part T–Transport
  
  
  Part_T_Transport.zip
  (1019.71 KB)
• Australian Infrastructure Statistics Yearbook 2018 Part E–Energy
  
  
  Part_E_Energy.zip
  (335.1 KB)
• Australian Infrastructure Statistics Yearbook 2018 Part C–Communication
  
  
  Part_C_Communication.zip
  (89.65 KB)
• Australian Infrastructure Statistics Yearbook 2018 Part W–Water
  
  
  Part_W_Water.zip
  (100.91 KB)

Trainline is a compendium of Australia's railways providing insights, analysis and an understanding of the railway industry. Australia's railways are evolving via changes within and outside the industry. These changes include logistics, commodity flows, technology, urban patronage and regional passenger services. The publication presents an overview and data on railway transport tasks performed; characteristics of the railways and train operators' rolling stock that runs; and aspects of railway performance including safety, environment and reliability.

• TrainLine 6 

The Freightline series is intended to provide information on interregional freight movements across Australia, filling a major gap in Australian transport-related data and information, to help better inform and support policy development and infrastructure planning. Freightline 1 provides a broad overview of the freight task. Subsequent issues consider specific commodity freight tasks, and include more detailed information about the size and location of major freight movements, supply chain composition and key infrastructure components.

This issue (Freightline 7) focusses on Australian aluminium industry transport supply chains and freight movements in 2014–15.

• Freightline 7–Australian aluminium industry freight transport
  
  Freightline_07.pdf
  (638.09 KB)

Waterline reports on trends in (a) throughput, (b) container handling productivity on the waterfront and the land side of ports in Australia, and (c) the cost of importing and exporting containers via five container ports. It covers both the loading and unloading of container ships and the transport of containers from container terminals.

This issue covers port terminal activity up to the December quarter 2017.

• Waterline No 62
  
  water_062.pdf
  (3.7 MB)
• Time Series Tables
  
  
  water_062_timeSeries.zip
  (63.89 KB)

A common rational for the making of transport-related forecasts is the need to anticipate the growth of transport activity and the demand it will place on transport infrastructure. Anticipation of this demand allows for forward planning of needed improvements/additions to key parts of the networks.

As such, it is useful to examine how close past Bureau forecasts were to predicting this growth, and to learn from any obvious errors.
This is the aim of the current report.

• Forecasting Australian Transport: A Review of Past Bureau Forecasts
  
  rr_149.pdf
  (3.16 MB)

The Freightline series is intended to provide information on interregional freight movements across Australia, filling a major gap in Australian transport-related data and information, to help better inform and support policy development and infrastructure planning. Freightline 1 provides a broad overview of the freight task. Subsequent issues consider specific commodity freight tasks, and include more detailed information about the size and location of major freight movements, supply chain composition and key infrastructure components. This issue (Freightline 6) focusses on Australian rice transport supply chains and freight movements in 2015–16.

• Freightline 6–Australian rice freight transport
  
  Freightline_06.pdf
  (859.27 KB)

This is the latest in a series of Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) reports that provide information on Australian sea freight movements, vessel activity, the use of coastal trading licences, and the size and composition of the Australian trading fleet. This report contains statistics on maritime freight and shipping activities in Australia from 2006–07 to 2015–16.

In March 2015 the Australian Government responded to the Productivity Commission's (2014) Tasmanian Shipping and Freight Report by announcing the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme (TFES) would be expanded from 1 January 2016 to provide assistance to goods going to markets not previously covered by the Scheme.

The announcement included a new monitoring process, with the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) to conduct an initial review of the expanded component in 2017 (this review). Thereafter, monitoring of the expanded component will become part of the BITRE's general TFES monitoring reviews commencing in 2019.

In terms of the level and appropriateness of the flat rate for the expanded component, BITRE's finding in this 2017 review are that:

• There is little relevant information on overall rate trends for freight shipped due to a limited claims history and many destinations.
• The appropriate benchmark for freight costs is the shipping cost across Bass Strait as, to be eligible, freight must be transhipped via an Australian mainland port.

BITRE sought public comment on a draft of this review in December 2017. Two submissions were received (including one after the finalisation of the report).

The Australian Government's response is available here.