Transport Australia launches with call to value the system that underpins national prosperity
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Transport Australia has launched today with a call for a step-change in how Australia plans, funds and manages its transport system, as new research shows Australians spend around five billion hours travelling across the network each year, at an estimated value of $100 billion.
The new peak industry body, formerly Roads Australia, will champion an integrated and sustainable transport system as the enabler for a prosperous Australia.
Its inaugural research report, Valuing Australia’s Transport Network, shows transport directly contributes around $189 billion to the economy each year, equivalent to 9 per cent of GDP, and underpins almost every part of Australia’s $2.1 trillion economy.
From daily commutes and freight moving across long distances to supporting housing growth, liveability and the energy transition, the report argues transport should be understood not as a collection of individual assets or projects, but as a connected national system critical to productivity and everyday life.
Transport Australia CEO Ehssan Veiszadeh said the organisation had been established to provide a stronger system voice for an integrated transport network spanning roads, rail, freight, active transport, ports and airports.
“Transport Australia exists to champion an integrated and sustainable transport system because transport is the connector of communities and a fundamental enabler of national prosperity,” Mr Veiszadeh said.
“Australians are investing five billion hours a year in getting where they need to go. That time matters for productivity, for family life and for the cost of living.
“Our role is to connect government and industry around better system outcomes, with a focus on safety, sustainability and the end user, now and into the future.”
The report finds the transport network is under growing pressure, with population growth, heavier freight demand, electrification and more extreme weather increasing strain on the system and raising the cost of underinvestment.
It highlights the scale and significance of the national transport task, including:
- an indicative $10 trillion to $22 trillion replacement value for Australia’s land transport infrastructure
- a direct economic contribution of around $189 billion a year, or about 9 per cent of GDP
- an estimated annual travel time value of around $100 billion
Mr Veiszadeh said the opportunity for governments was to shift the debate from isolated projects to whole-of-network performance that improves reliability, productivity and liveability.
“The opportunity is to give Australians time back by making the existing network work better through maintenance, smarter operations, better integration between modes, and targeted upgrades that lift reliability and capacity,” he said.
“The biggest gains will come when we stop thinking in silos. You cannot solve housing, productivity and cost-of-living pressures separately from transport.
“When transport is planned as an integrated system, the benefits flow across the economy and into everyday life.”
The report also includes practical examples of how targeted investment can improve network performance and unlock productivity, including:
- WestConnex reducing morning peak travel time between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD by 50 per cent, including freight time savings of around 40 minutes to Port Botany
- upgrades enabling B-doubles to deliver freight efficiency gains of 15 to 30 per cent
- Victoria’s Murray Basin Rail Plan enabling trains to carry an additional 1,000 tonnes of grain, around a 50 per cent uplift
Over the next 12 months, Transport Australia will lead a national dialogue with governments, industry and experts on how Australia defines, measures and communicates the full value delivered by the transport network.
ENDS
About Transport Australia
Transport Australia champions an integrated and sustainable transport system as the enabler for a prosperous Australia.
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