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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 875 asked in the Legislative Council on 20 August 2019 by Hon Tjorn Sibma

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

WESTPORT TASKFORCE — FREMANTLE PORT CAPACITY

875. Hon TJORN SIBMA to the Minister for Ports:

I refer to the work undertaken by the Westport Taskforce, and to evaluations made about the future capacity of Fremantle port beyond the 770 000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers, or TEUs, that the port recorded in 2017–18.

(1) When is it estimated that Fremantle port will achieve a near trebling of this throughput of 2.1 million TEUs under the various growth scenarios considered by the Westport Taskforce?

(2) What investments is the government making in the landside freight infrastructure required to assist Fremantle port reach to that modest 2.1 million TEU target, and what infrastructure has the government ruled out?

Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:

I thank the member for the question.

(1) The Westport Taskforce has determined that the road and rail networks servicing Fremantle are the major constraints for the inner harbour and will reach their capacity by the mid-2030s. This modelling assumes that a further $2.3 billion of uncommitted and unfunded road projects are built, including the duplication of Curtin Avenue and the widening of Stirling Highway.

(2) The McGowan government is investing in putting more freight on rail, which has proven to be successful in increasing the percentage of containers moved from 15.5 per cent in the 12 months prior to the policy being introduced, to a record high of 23.7 per cent in April 2019. This investment in freight on rail is also creating an investment multiplier in landside logistic infrastructure that will directly assist Fremantle port.

Our government has committed to the construction of a new Fremantle Traffic Bridge, which will provide a dedicated freight rail path to the North Quay rail terminal. The new bridge will also help reduce vehicle congestion on Stirling Bridge. Our government has also committed to upgrading High Street between Stirling Highway and Carrington Street. This will enhance the efficiency and flow of heavy vehicles to Fremantle port.