The Port of Melbourne Corporation’s Supplementary Environmental Effects Statement (SEES) gives the channel deepening project its effective endorsement, says VECCI.
“The SEES has indicated what we have long argued, that the Project will not result in any long-term environmental impacts on the Bay”, says VECCI Chief Executive Officer, Mr Neil Coulson.
“The Bracks Government has a mandate to proceed with the channel deepening project after its re-election and we call on the Government to manage the remaining processes in a timely and effective fashion.
“Now 38 percent of container ships cannot enter the bay fully-laden, a figure that is rising as larger ships become more common – this is unacceptable and must be remedied as soon as possible.
“We do not have the luxury of waiting - competitor ports such as Adelaide, Auckland and Portland (Oregon, USA) have either just completed channel deepening projects or have projects underway.
“Economic studies show that the benefits of the Project outweigh the costs by 3 to 1 on a very conservative basis.
“Channel deepening also has broader strategic benefits for Victoria’s future – it will cement Melbourne’s primacy as Australia’s leading container port and will send positive economic signals to overseas investors.
“We lost economic primacy to Sydney in the 1980s in terms of financial services and we would not want this to happen in terms of transport and distribution.
“We also believe that channel deepening requires a significant Government contribution because of the wider economic benefits it delivers to Victoria and the environmental costs that have been incurred to bring the project up to current community standards, as well as the safety benefits of deeper channels”, says Mr Coulson. |
