Hastings backed as Melbourne’s second freight port

THE Port of Hastings needs to be a key topic in discussions over privatising the Port of Melbourne, the City of Greater Dandenong says.
The council has lodged a submission to a Victorian Parliamentary inquiry considering the government’s proposal to privatise the Port of Melbourne via a long-term lease.
“While the current focus is on the Port of Melbourne, it would be poor policy not to start thinking ahead about what else will be needed to guarantee south-east Melbourne’s freight future,” Mayor Sean O’Reilly said.
He said the council strongly supported developing the Port of Hastings as Melbourne’s second container port and that it needed to be ready as soon as the Port of Melbourne hit capacity.
“We think an independent body like Infrastructure Victoria is best placed to make these decisions and advise the State Government accordingly,” he said.
Cr O’Reilly said the Hastings project would provide Melbourne’s industrial heartland with the efficient freight and transport services it needed to remain globally competitive and grow jobs.