On Monday 11th August, state and territory Infrastructure and Transport Ministers met with the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon Catherine King MP, in Melbourne at the latest Infrastructure and Transport Ministers' Meeting (ITMM). The communique of the meeting confirms that this work is starting to bear fruit. Ministers have endorsed the National Transport Commission (NTC) to update the National Voluntary Guidelines for Stevedore Landside Charges to:
Require stevedores to implement price changes annually on 1 January
Extend similar requirements to empty container park (ECP) operators
Ministers have also agreed to form a working group, under the Infrastructure and Transport Senior Officials' Committee (ITSOC), to explore next steps in response to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) findings on stevedore charges.Read the full Infrastructure and Transport Ministers' Meetings Communique HERE.
FTA/APSA will engage closely with the NTC to ensure the updated Guidelines are finalised as soon as possible, and treated as a priority to deliver genuine outcomes rather than procedural change.
FTA/APSA data reveals the magnitude of the financial burden imposed by unregulated landside charges:
Terminal Access Charges (TACs): Stevedores have collected nearly $2 billion in incontestable TACs over the past four years across Australia's major ports. Increases of up to 9.9% took effect in early 2025, compounding years of significant hikes.
Empty Container Park (ECP) Notification Fees: These fees have surged from around $5.50 per container to averages of up to $120, with some parks now exceeding $250 per container. Over the past six years, this has cost industry an estimated $1.38 billion.
These charges are unavoidable, with transport operators denied choice over which facilities to use, leaving the sector as "price takers" without influence over service or cost.
The combined impost of TACs and ECP fees is draining over one billion dollars annually in unregulated costs from importers, exporters, freight forwarders, customs brokers, logistics providers, and transport operators, undermining margins and harming Australia's trade competitiveness.
While we are pleased with the ITMM decision to move towards nationally recognising the Voluntary Pricing Protocol (VPP) for both stevedores and ECPs, the voluntary nature of the Guidelines remains a major limitation. FTA/APSA will continue to strongly advocate for a mandatory regulatory framework to provide effective oversight and protect industry from excessive and unregulated landside charges.