Port Infrastructure Pricing Policy and Practice: A Case Study of Australia and New Zealand Seaports

This paper examines the infrastructure charges of sea-ports and port pricing policies in Australia and New Zealand. The analysis covers 40 sea-ports and takes into account their administrative roles as well as geographical factors. Analysis of the effectiveness of ports’ pricing policies is also conducted and related to port reform. The analysis finds the existence of disparities in the growth rates of port infrastructure tariff across ports in both countries. There is a considerable increase in port infrastructure tariffs but at different rates. Moreover, port pricing policies vary substantially across states, territories and regions of the two countries, notwithstanding the fact that ports having different traffic volumes. Infrastructure pricing practices have been affected by port reforms and the port administrative regime. While port corporatisation tends to maintain a high level of infrastructure charges with higher growth rates, commercialization and privatisation tend to a relatively low level of infrastructure tariffs and annual growth rates. Based on the results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis, implications for port management and governments at both the state and national levels are discussed. Given the exploratory nature of the research, limitations of the research and implications for future research are also discussed