Ai Group welcomed the opportunity to make a submission to the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into Australia’s Maritime Logistics System.

As an island nation Australia’s economy heavily relies on its maritime ports. Any issue at the
ports can significantly impact countrywide supply chains and business activity. As shown by
the ACCC’s recent container stevedoring monitoring report,1 problems with Australia’s maritime logistics system have continued to worsen and there are acute supply chain pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given how closely Australia’s economy relies on maritime ports, these issues require urgent and swift government action to ensure that our supply chains can function productively, competitively and resiliently, now and into the future.