Victorian Voluntary Pricing Protocol

The Voluntary Pricing Protocols aim to enhance transparency along the supply chain and support the industry in anticipating and planning for price changes. This will improve business efficiency by:

1. Extending the notice period provided to industry for upcoming price changes
2. Improving the clarity of reasons for new or increased charges
3. Providing for industry feedback and consultation on the changes
4. Promoting consistency in the information and processes related to landside price changes
5. Decreasing the frequency of price changes and encouraging harmonised timing of price changes across the supply chain.

To subscribe to DPT’s Voluntary Port Performance Model email distribution list, please register by emailing freightvictoria@transport.vic.gov.au

Voluntary Pricing Protocol – Container Stevedore Operators

View or download the Victorian Voluntary Pricing Protocol – Container Stevedore Operators

The Voluntary Pricing Protocol – Container Stevedore Operators was developed in 2020 in extensive consultation with industry and the Port of Melbourne’s three container stevedores – DP World, Patrick Terminals and Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT).

Each of these operators has publicly committed to follow the Voluntary Pricing Protocol and has been providing notices to industry in line with the Protocol since its introduction in July 2020.

The National Transport Commission’s (NTC) released its National voluntary guidelines for landside stevedore charges on 31 March 2022. These guidelines are based on the original version of the Victorian Voluntary Pricing Protocol.

The National Guidelines recognise that States and Territories may already have existing practices in place and they aim to complement these.

Due to recent enhancements, Victoria will continue to apply the Victorian Protocol for all container stevedore operator landside price changes.

Stevedore notifications

Summary of previous notifications coming soon.

Version history

Voluntary Pricing Protocol – Empty Container Park Operators

View or download the Victorian Voluntary Pricing Protocol – ECP Operators

This Voluntary Pricing Protocol – Empty Container Park (ECP) operators aims to enhance the notice period and transparency about price changes at ECPs.

The introduction of this Protocol aligns with the findings and recommendations outlined in the ACCC’s Stevedoring Monitoring Report 2023-24 which addressed the historic pricing practices of ECPs.

The report highlighted that rapidly rising notification fees indicate a need for closer scrutiny of ECP pricing practices across Australia.

In response to these concerns, the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers’ have agreed that the NTC will work with jurisdictions to expand the National Voluntary Guidelines to include ECP Operators.

Giving advanced notice and clear justification for price changes is essential to enhance the transparency and consistency for container landside operators.

This goal is supported by the National Freight & Supply Chain Strategy, the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Australia’s maritime logistics system, the Victorian Freight Plan, and the freight and transport plans of other state and territory governments around Australia.

The Voluntary Pricing Protocol – ECP operators applies to all landside price changes at Victorian ECPs from the time of publication (see Version History below).

DTP will periodically monitor and publish a summary of ECPs’ alignment to the Protocol.

Version history