State government taskforce to examine supply chains

After weeks of bare supermarket shelves, the State Government has announced a new taskforce to address supply chain issues within WA’s shipping industry. The government flagged severe weather events in the North West, along with the South Australian floods, as the cause of the supply chain problem. The unprecedented flooding in South Australia earlier this year forced the Trans-Australian railway, which carries 80 per cent of WA’s freight from east to west, to shut down for 24 days. But even after the reopening of the rail line, supply chains are still struggling to keep up with demand and it could take weeks for shops to be restocked. The new taskforce will look at alternative shipping routes for freight during natural disasters and the sustainability and resilience of WA’s maritime labour force by identifying critical worker shortages and skill gaps. The taskforce will engage with the shipping and transport industry, customers, port authorities, unions and the broader community as they make their recommendations. Transport and Ports Minister Rita Saffioti said the State Government saw the supply chain problem as a national issue and was keen to work with the Federal Government to strengthen our east-west supply link. “We saw first-hand the disruption to our supply chains the once-in-a-200-year flooding in South Australia caused when it washed away parts of the Trans-Australia railway,” she said. “It’s important we examine other supply chain options in the event of future natural disasters and disruptions - having better access to a local shipping fleet would be one option to future-proof our freight supply chain.” The taskforce will report back to Cabinet with their recommendations by March 31 2023, although the State Government has said their ability to deliver the recommendations would be reliant on assistance and coordination with the Federal Government.