The Australian Government has committed $8.5 million to improve national freight data, which will help business and governments plan and make better operational and investment decisions. This commitment includes:

• $5.2 million to settle the design of a national freight data hub (the Hub), including arrangements for data collection, protection, dissemination and hosting
• $3.3 million for the establishment of a freight data exchange pilot to allow industry to access freight data in real time; and the National Survey of Motor Vehicle Use

Designing the Hub

Over the next two years, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications will be working closely with industry, governments and other stakeholders on the Hub design. The project will deliver:

• An agreed approach on critical design elements
• A business case including refined options for Government consideration
• A roadmap for implementation
• System specifications, including hosting and interface considerations

As part of the design process, the Department will also be working closely with stakeholders to develop and test use cases for the Hub to inform the business case.

2019 Discussion Paper

In late 2019, the Department released an initial discussion paper seeking input to help settle the design of the Hub.

The discussion paper asked a series of questions focused on the purposes of the Hub, priority datasets for inclusion, sharing principles and priority outputs.

Workshops were held in Melbourne and Brisbane in early December prior to the end of the consultation period.

Submissions

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the paper and participate in the workshops. This in depth information is being carefully reviewed to inform the next steps in the design of the Hub.

A total of 40 submissions were received from a wide range of groups including the freight and logistics industries, governments, researchers, consultants and data specialists. Around 50 people attended the two workshops.

Below is a list of non-confidential submissions received, in alphabetical order.

The Department is not responsible for the content of these submissions, which remains the responsibility of the original authors, and submissions do not represent the views of the Department.

To the extent permitted by law, the Commonwealth disclaims liability to any person or organisation in respect of anything done, or omitted to be done, in reliance upon information contained in any of the submissions.

Author	Submission
1-Stop Connections	PDF: 574 KB
Australian Border Force	PDF: 546 KB
Australian Bureau of Statistics	PDF: 623 KB
Australian Local Government Association	PDF: 643 KB
Australian Logistics Council	PDF: 588 KB
Austroads	PDF: 827 KB
City of Canning	PDF: 617 KB
CQ Inland Port	PDF: 525 KB
Deakin University	PDF: 1238 KB
Delta Pearl Partners	PDF: 226 KB
Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, South Australia	PDF: 645 KB
Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet	PDF: 142 KB
Department of Transport and Main Roads, Western Australia	PDF: 179 KB
GHD Advisory	PDF: 154 KB
Graincorp	PDF: 729 KB
GS1	PDF: 868 KB
INECO	PDF: 172 KB
Infrastructure Australia	PDF: 562 KB
Infrastructure Partnerships Australia	PDF: 292 KB
MisterMina Group	PDF: 233 KB
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator	PDF: 167 KB
Pedro Camargo	PDF: 138 KB
Planning Institute Australia	PDF: 547 KB
Port Authority of New South Wales	PDF: 482 KB
Prological Consulting	PDF: 159 KB
Roads Australia	PDF: 170 KB
SMEC Australia	PDF: 298 KB
Sydney Airports	PDF: 2669 KB
Tasmanian Logistics Committee	PDF: 667 KB
Telstra	PDF: 203 KB
Transport Certification Australia	PDF: 1344 KB
University of Melbourne	PDF: 1781 KB
University of New South Wales	PDF: 71 KB
York Street Digital	PDF: 100 KB

Why design a freight data hub?

Better freight data could enhance the efficiency of Australia’s freight supply chain, and benefit our community and economy through higher productivity. The need for improved freight data was a key focus of the industry led Inquiry into National Freight and Supply Chain Priorities, and is an important part of delivering the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy.

This project is informed by the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre’s review of Australia’s freight data needs. The purpose is to enhance collection of and access to freight data, across all modes, to:

• Support day to day operations
• Improve infrastructure and transport network investment decisions
• Enable end-to-end performance evaluation for Australia’s freight system

What are the critical areas for design?

Four critical areas for design are:

• Data collection: working toward agreed principles for data collection, including standards and priority gaps
• Protection and confidentiality: developing agreed needs for cyber security, data protection, and future proofing
• Dissemination: designing modes of aggregation, access needs, supporting sharing protocols and agreements
• Hosting: spanning development of a business model, structure and technical specifications, and a roadmap for iterative implementation

The project team will be engaging further on these issues and providing more information as the design project progresses through workshops and refinement of concepts.

How we will approach the design

To best address these areas in design, the department will:

• Collaborate and consult, seeking guidance from industry and jurisdictions
• Look to learn from international best practice
• Take an iterative approach, workshopping and refining concepts throughout the project
• Developing and testing use cases and pilots to test user desirability, system feasibility and business viability to inform the business case

How to contribute or get more information

Email freightdatahub@infrastructure.gov.au to express your interest in contributing your views or getting progress updates on the hub design project.