Port-Oriented Landside Logistics in Australian Ports: A Strategic Framework

Even the most cursory examination of port-oriented, landside freight systems suggests at best partial policy frameworks and at worst a serious policy vacuum. In Australia – and certainly at the ports of Melbourne and Sydney – port-adjacent and inner-city gridlock is driving the mantra of ‘more containers on rail’. This paper cautions against defining policy and strategy for landside logistics operations on the basis of intuitive solutions and as coping rather than as development strategies. Rather, it argues that there is a critical need to understand that fundamental restructuring in port landside operations is a function of two key issues – pervasive value migration in landside operations and progressive strategy decay as ports struggle to redefine themselves. The paper offers a conceptual framework for strategy and policy definition that deals explicitly with both issues and is summarised within a ‘centre–periphery’ model that suggests the necessity of a comprehensive, strategic approach.