National voluntary guidelines for landside stevedore and empty container park charges

In October 2026, Australia’s transport ministers approved the National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedore and Empty Container Park Charges.

The updated Guidelines will commence on 1 January 2027 and will apply to empty container park operators as well as stevedore operators.

Stevedores and empty container park operators that choose to adopt the Guidelines should issue a Notice of Intention (NOI) to their relevant state transport agency and publish it on their website by 2 November 2026, in line with the notification and consultation requirements in the Guidelines.

Download the updated Guidelines

• National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedore and Empty Container Park Charges
  
   

The National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedore and Empty Container Park Charges provide a nationally consistent approach to the notification and consultation of landside charges by stevedore and empty container park operators.

First introduced in 2022 to cover landside stevedore charges, the Guidelines have been updated to include empty container park charges and strengthen transparency and predictability across the containerised freight supply chain.

Under the updated Guidelines, stevedores and empty container park operators that choose to adopt the Guidelines will agree to change their landside charges only once a year, on 1 January or the next business day.