Victorian Freight Plan Update Support

NineSquared was engaged by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to provide economics and advisory support for the development of a refreshed Victorian Freight Plan. The engagement aimed to update the 2018 plan to reflect current challenges and opportunities in the freight and logistics sector, and to position Victoria for future growth.

Background

Freight and logistics businesses in Victoria play a critical role in the state’s economy, contributing significantly to Gross State Product and supporting thousands of jobs across supply chains. With increasing freight volumes driven by population growth and evolving industry needs, DTP sought to update its freight strategy to support the industry and help it to remain efficient, sustainable, and competitive. The refreshed plan needed to reflect industry priorities, quantify economic impacts, and provide a clear roadmap for action.

Our Role

NineSquared’s role encompassed a broad range of strategic and analytical support:

• Conducting a targeted review of the 2018 Victorian Freight Plan, assessing progress against previous actions.
• Developing key components of the updated plan, including goals, objectives, actions, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Undertaking feasibility analysis of KPIs, considering data availability and stakeholder relevance.
• Quantifying the economic value of the freight sector and modelling potential growth if plan objectives are achieved.
• Supporting DTP’s governance processes, including the Industry Stakeholder Reference Group.
• Planning and facilitating an Industry Summit attended by over 70 leaders from ports, freight, supply chain, and logistics sectors.

Throughout the engagement, NineSquared maintained a close working relationship with the DTP team, providing regular updates, managing risks proactively, and ensuring deliverables met quality and timing expectations. The project culminated in the release of the refreshed Victorian Freight Plan in August 2024, titled Victoria Delivers. The plan outlines strategic priorities for the next five years, including initiatives to support decarbonisation, innovation, and infrastructure development.

Key highlights include:

• An $8 million Freight Sector Innovation Fund to support low-emissions transitions.
• Expansion of electric charging infrastructure and access to alternative fuels.
• Victoria’s endorsement of the global MoU for decarbonising freight transport.
• Ports Victoria’s involvement in the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor agreement with Singapore.

The engagement involved over 150 stakeholders and synthesised more than 200 ideas into actionable strategies and measurable outcomes.

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