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Australia’s transport ministers have approved the updated National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedore and Empty Container Park Charges, which will commence on 1 January 2027.
The original National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedore Charges were introduced in 2022 to provide a nationally consistent approach to the notification and communication of new and increased landside stevedore charges.
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.
National Transport Commission CEO and Commissioner Michael Hopkins said the updated Guidelines, which now also apply to empty container park operators, would support greater transparency, predictability and consistency in landside charging arrangements across Australia.
“A more transparent and predictable approach to landside charges will help to maximise freight productivity by lifting the efficiency of Australia’s container freight supply chains and will help businesses better understand and plan for the costs of Australia's containerised freight.
“Bringing stevedore and empty container park operators within the same voluntary Guidelines will support greater consistency in how landside price changes are communicated and consulted on across Australia.
“We thank the governments, operators, transport industry representatives and other stakeholders across the containerised freight supply chain who contributed to the review. Their feedback helped ensure the updated Guidelines remain practical while supporting greater transparency and predictability for industry.”
The updated National Voluntary Guidelines for Landside Stevedore and Empty Container Park Charges is available on the NTC website.