7.1.4  Ports

Ports play a central role in the Australian economy as they are an important part of supply chains, linking land and sea transport networks, as well as playing an integral role in serving domestic demand.

The Audit focuses on the value-add to the Australian economy attributable to the services provided by port infrastructure, not the value of the goods flowing through the ports (nor the costs of constructing the ports).

Australia's ports serve many industries, from the export of bulk ores, minerals, liquefied natural gas and agricultural products, to containerised imports and exports, as well as passenger services. Australia's port services can be broadly categorised as bulk or non-bulk, although many ports have the capacity for mixed use.

The Audit has defined bulk goods as being unpacked cargo which is superficially homogeneous. Such goods include dry bulk such as coal, iron ore and grain as well as wet bulk liquid commodities (such as oil and other petroleum-based products). Bulk gas-based commodities including Liquefied Petroleum Gas, and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) are shipped in liquid form.203

Non-bulk ports for the purpose of the Audit primarily handle containers and general cargo, but also heavy machinery, steel and timber. Most are mixed-use ports which handle some goods which have bulk characteristics such as cement, grain or fuel. Non-bulk ports generally serve as a gateway for domestic and international goods to a local catchment, rather than acting as a link in a supply chain for a specific resource.

Many of Australia's ports also play significant roles in national defence and border control. The ports of Townsville and Darwin provide critical infrastructure to Australia's defence interests, and the ports in state capitals as well as Cairns and Gladstone provide ship repair, maintenance, supply and other logistics services to the Royal Australian Navy and allied forces.

For the purposes of the Audit, port services provided in 65 locations across Australia have been included. These ports are listed in Table 20.

Table 20: Ports included in the Audit by state and territory

Source: ACIL Allen Consulting (2014a)

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203.  ACIL Allen Consulting (2014a)