Fresh data capturing Australia’s freight and supply chain performance for road and rail has been made available.

The federal government has launched the Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard, which provides detailed and interactive modelling of Australian transport and logistics supply chains.

Developed with the CSIRO, the dashboard covers 130 commodities using data taken from 65% of road and 95% of rail freight trips over the last five years to outline:

• freight task costs and value, including cost per payload tonne or kilometre;
• travel distances and durations; and
• supply chain movements between businesses.

The dashboard is intended to help freight operators and businesses better understand freight and logistics costs and evaluate freight performance across the network will help drive productivity and efficiency gains across various sectors.

With Covid-19 disrupting global supply chains, driving up costs and making it harder to keep goods moving, this initiative is welcome news for freight operators, producers and exporting businesses, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said.

"The more informed industries and businesses are, the better they perform," he said.

"That’s why the government is investing $16.5 million over four years to improve freight data through the National Freight Data Hub and providing freely available resources such as this benchmarking dashboard.

"It provides industry with a comprehensive understanding of Australian supply chain performance that we can benchmark against international comparators to drive improvements and reduce costs across supply chains.

"From grains and construction materials to apples to zinc, the dashboard shows how we get regional exports to port, goods to market and supplies to communities across the nation.

"Access to these insights also provides exciting opportunities for research, cost-efficiencies and targeted planning, improving the overall performance of Australia’s freight system.

"From the remote beef communities in the Top End, to the apple orchards of regional Tasmania, we want to continue to ensure our freight and supply chain industry can meet the growing task of connecting all our businesses and their goods – no matter where they are – to shopping centres and ports across the country."

Benchmarking key supply chain performance against international competitors was a priority action recommended by the Inquiry into National Freight and Supply Chain Priorities.

Future enhancements to the dashboard will look at adding maritime and air freight data, as well as more commodities.

"Already monumental to our way of life and our economy, Australia’s freight volumes are projected to continue to grow by over 35 per cent by 2040," Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said.

"The Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard is part of our commitment to deliver an efficient, smart supply chain network that transcends borders and continues to contribute to a strong and prosperous Australia.

"A key way towards achieving this is by using data to inform better planning and coordination, which is what this dashboard is all about and will help us achieve a safer, more productive and profitable freight transport sector."

The Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard forms part of the Australian Government’s National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy and is available at http://www.freightaustralia.gov.au/dashboard