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Today I addressed the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics' (BITRE) 8th Annual Transport Colloquium and released the Australian Transport Statistics 2008 pocket guide. This pocket guide provides an extremely useful up-to-date snapshot of the scope, scale and performance of the Australian transport sector. The publication's key findings include: - Transport specific businesses contributed 4.63 per cent of total GDP in 2006/07. This amounts to $46.2 billion, an increase of nearly six per cent on 2005/06 - a significant contribution to our economy and national wellbeing;
- Employment in the transport sector was up six per cent to nearly half a million jobs in the twelve months to August 2007. This constituted 4.7 per cent of total employment.
The transport sector is indeed the economic life-blood of our nation, supporting our industries from agriculture to manufacturing and mining. Just as importantly, it links families and communities. The key to ensuring the continuing strength of the transport sector is modern, well-planned, national rail, road, aviation and port infrastructure. That's why the Rudd Labor Government has moved quickly to: - Establish Infrastructure Australia;
- Set up a $20 billion Building Australia Fund to fund critical economic infrastructure; and
- Start investing in fixing the nation's immediate transport bottlenecks.
With over 14 million registered motor vehicles on the nation's roads; more than 22 million international and 45 million domestic passengers transiting through our airports; and 734.4 million tonnes of international freight being processed annually, we have a big job ahead of us in ensuring infrastructure is up to scratch. The Australian Transport Statistics 2008 is available at www.bitre.gov.au or by emailing the Department media@infrastructure.gov.au. The Government's Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) provides economic analysis, research and statistics to inform policy makers and the wider community.
Media Contacts
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Jeff Singleton (
Mr Albanese's Office ) |
0410 476 890
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 BITRE Australian Transport Statistics 2008 - key findings- Transport specific businesses contributed 4.63 per cent of total GDP in 2006-07 or $46.2 billion in 2005-06 constant prices, an increase of 5.8 per cent on the value for 2005-06.
- Employment in the transport sector increased by 6.0 per cent to 492,875 jobs in August 2007 compared with August 2006. This constituted 4.7 per cent of total employment in August 2007.
- Approximately $15.4 billion (in 2005-06 constant prices) was invested in transport infrastructure engineering construction work in 2006-07, an increase of 7.2 per cent on the previous financial year. Of this total, 76.8 per cent was invested in roads and bridges, while the rest was spent on railways, ports and harbours.
- A total of 734.4 million tonnes of international freight moved through Australian ports and airports with a value of $362.1 billion in 2006-07, an increase of 10.2 per cent on 2005-06.
- Australia's three main trading partners in terms of import value in 2006-07 were the European Union (EU), the USA and China, while the top three export destinations in terms of value were Japan, China and the EU.
- Both international and domestic air passenger numbers reached record levels in 2006-07 with 22.1 million international passengers and 45.3 million domestic (including regional) passengers.
- The top three destinations for Australian air travellers were New Zealand, the USA and United Kingdom (UK), while visitors arrived mainly from New Zealand, the UK and Japan in 2006-07.
- The number of ships visiting Australia increased by 5.6 per cent to 3,725 in 2006-07 compared to the previous financial year.
- Sea transport accounted for 733.7 million tonnes of freight worth $275.4 billion in 2006-07, an increase of 5.4 per cent on the freight load for 2005-06.
- The top three ports for freight movements in 2006-07 were Dampier, Port Hedland and Hay Point, while Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane ports top the list in terms of international trade value.
- Rail transport accounted for 643.4 million passenger journeys in 2005-06, an increase of 4.4 per cent on the previous financial year. There were 37 rail fatalities in 2007, a decrease of 14.0 per cent compared with 1997.
- There were 14.4 million motor vehicles registered in Australia at 31 March 2006.
- Road fatalities reached 1,616 or 93.6 per cent of total transport-related fatalities in 2007. This represented a decrease of 8.6 per cent compared with the fatality rate in 1997.
- Road transport accounted for 84.9 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions from the domestic transport industry in 2007.
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