The Federal Government has launched the National Freight Data Hub prototype website and will provide $16.5 million in funding in the 2021-22 Budget over four years to develop the Hub further.
Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Michael McCormack said the Hub will be a trusted source of freight data for industry, government and others to improve the efficiency, safety and resilience of the freight sector.
“The Hub will highlight important information about traffic volumes, congestion, road condition and rest area usage, to improve road safety for the nation’s freight operators,” he said.
“This commitment will in turn support the day-to-day operations of the transport industry, provide enhanced freight data across all supply chains and enable a data driven approach for future strategic planning and investment.
“Every Australian, everywhere, every day relies on a truck driver, which is why we need high-quality, easily accessible data to make sure the movement of goods and services is as efficient as possible, especially as Australia’s freight task grows.”
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Freight Transport Minister Scott Buchholz said industry asked for a congestion metric to assist with their businesses and the Australian Government has delivered this and more with the prototype Hub website.
“The prototype website is an important first step that shows the Hub’s potential as a game-changer for the Australian freight and supply chain industry,” Buchholz said.
“The website showcases government and industry cooperation on a number of projects and allows users to search for data relevant to their business.
“In new world-leading visualisations, interactive truck telematics maps are publicly available at a national level with insights on congestion in our cities and a national map of truck rest stops.
NSW Ports’ Chief Executive Officer Marika Calfas said the prototype website is an important first step toward a comprehensive National Freight Data Hub.
“A fully developed National Freight Data Hub, with data across all supply chains, will assist with decision-making and evidence led-investments to enhance the efficiency and resilience of Australia’s freight supply chains and to quantify investment outcomes,” Calfas said.
The Australian Logistics Council’s Chief Executive Officer Kirk Coningham OAM said data is the new oil and having an integrated National Freight Data Hub is critical to the delivery of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy.
“The ALC commends the Government on the launch of the prototype website and looks forward to working together on this vital project, to ensure it meets the needs of industry now and into the future,” Coningham said.