Voluntary Pricing Protocol

The Voluntary Pricing Protocol has been developed in close consultation with container stevedores, transport bodies, the Port of Melbourne and Australia’s peak shipping body.

Port of Melbourne’s three stevedores, DP World, Patrick Terminals and VICT, have all publicly expressed their commitment to follow the Voluntary Pricing Protocol and have been providing notices to industry in line with the Protocol since its introduction in July 2020.

The National Transport Commission’s (NTC) national voluntary guidelines for landside stevedore charges were released on 31 March 2022, modelled on the Victorian Voluntary Pricing Protocol. Given the consistency between the two sets of guidelines, and the additional clarity regarding provision of information, Victoria will continue to apply the local Protocol.

To receive emails on stevedore notifications under the Voluntary Pricing Protocol and other updates relating to the Voluntary Port Performance Model, please register by emailing freightvictoria@transport.vic.gov.au

The Voluntary Pricing Protocol specifies four stages of consultation on pricing changes:

1. Stevedores must notify the Executive Director, Freight Victoria at DTP of the proposed pricing change 60 calendar days prior to the proposed implementation date. The stevedore’s 60-day notice to DTP must be accompanied by:
   • Detailed reasons for the increase or introduction of pricing change, including all relevant supporting information or data, to be kept confidential by DTP.
   • For Terminal Access Charges, a detailed breakdown of the property, capital investment and landside operations costs to be recovered through the Terminal Access Charge, in the agreed submission template, to be kept confidential by DTP.
   • A link to the public notice on the stevedore’s website which includes:
     • publicly available rationale for the price change
     • the due date for industry feedback; and
     • stevedore contact information.
2. When DTP receives a 60-day notice from a stevedore, DTP will email its Voluntary Port Performance Model (VPPM) industry stakeholder list within two business days to advise of the proposed pricing change. This email will include the link to the stevedore’s 60-day notice, the proposed date of change, closing date for industry feedback and the due date of the 30-day final notice.
3. Both government and industry have 21 calendar days from the 60-day notice period to provide formal, written feedback direct to the stevedore on the proposed pricing change.
4. Stevedores must issue a final notice of the pricing change to the Executive Director, Freight Victoria, which provides a link to the final notice on its website 30 calendar days prior to the proposed implementation date of the pricing change. When DTP receives the final, 30-day notice from a stevedore, DTP will email its VPPM industry stakeholder list within two business days to advise of the proposed pricing change. The stevedore’s final 30-day notice on its website must include:
   • A summary of engagement themes received in writing from industry and government and
   • Any response from the stevedore.

Definitions under the Voluntary Pricing Protocol:

• Stevedore terminal handling charges refers to all charges payable to stevedores in connection with the operation or provision of land-based facilities and services at stevedore terminals.
• Pricing change refers to both changes to existing charges and the introduction of new charges.
• ‘Days’ refer to calendar days, unless otherwise specified.

September 2024 update

The Victorian Government has consulted with the Port of Melbourne’s three stevedores, to enhance the Voluntary Pricing Protocol with two key changes.

Firstly, a standard submission template has been created to capture data and information related to the infrastructure fee/landside access fee to increase the clarity and consistency of information provided to DTP in the 60-day notice. Secondly, stevedores have been requested to align price changes to 1 January annually to provide greater levels of certainty and streamline administrative processes for landside operators.

Important notice: The Department of Transport and Planning has issued these guidelines following consultation with stevedore operators and industry representatives. Stevedores adopting the Voluntary Pricing Protocol do so on a voluntary basis and remain responsible for compliance with all applicable laws and should obtain their own independent advice as required.

Stevedore notifications

• DP World Australia
• Patrick Terminals
• VICT

DP World Australia

Patrick Terminals

VICT

Please provide formal feedback on these price notifications directly to the relevant stevedore.

On 1 January 2023, DoT was renamed the Department of Transport and Planning.

If you wish to provide comments to the Department of Transport and Planning, please email your feedback to freightvictoria@transport.vic.gov.au.