LAST YEAR’s eCommerce boom, after Australia went into lockdown, has continued well into 2021 while restrictions across the states continues. This year, with Victoria and NSW likely to continue lockdowns into the third quarter of the year, parcel delivery service CouriersPlease (CP) is forecasting a second parcel boom before Christmas.

Between March and May 2020, CP experienced an 80 percent spike in parcel volumes on the previous year. After lockdowns ended and restrictions began to ease, parcel volumes stabilised to a level that was still 53 percent higher than in 2019.

October to December is peak period for the logistics industry, given the popularity of major shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as Christmas shopping.

At CP, parcel volumes grew to more than 4.6 million in 2019, an increase of just 1 percent (52,000 parcels) on the 2019 September quarter. During last year’s December quarter, however, CP handled more than 8 million parcels. While this was a 4 percent increase in volumes (340,000 parcels) on the 2020 September quarter, it amounted to a significant 71 percent growth on the 2019 December quarter.

This year, from June 25 when Sydney went into lockdown, CP was well on its way to surpassing 2020 December quarter volumes while lockdowns continue, delivering more than 5.6 million parcels in just eight weeks. As a result, the company expects a further 30 percent growth in the December quarter compared with the same period last year.

This is about 2.4 million more parcels than the company delivered last December quarter, and 122 percent (5.7 million parcels) more than the 2019 December quarter.

CouriersPlease chief operations officer, Phil Reid said, “We’ve has continued to experience a surge in parcel volumes and the current lockdowns have seen volumes soar to the levels we see during peak periods.

“Since last year’s boom, we expanded the business rapidly, doubling our franchisee network and hiring hundreds more delivery drivers. However, volumes continue to soar to record levels, and a second parcel boom this November and December is inevitable.

"We are preparing for a more than 30 percent increase in volumes during this period and have already started recruiting more warehouse staff and delivery drivers where possible.

“It is important for shoppers to understand that couriers across the country are delivering more parcels than ever before, particularly as lockdowns continue in Australia’s two largest cities. While it is a challenge for the industry to keep up and deliver within timeframes, we do know how frustrating it can be for those waiting to receive essential and urgent items.

"There are several recommendations retailers can share with their customers to minimise delivery delays. However, preparing for potential delays remains important and shoppers should pay particular attention to notifications from couriers, who are updating delivery timeframes and communicating delays to the best of their ability.”

About CouriersPlease

CouriersPlease (CP) is a leading courier and freight service that delivers tens of millions of parcels each year. CP offers a network of pick up and drop off locations comprising more than 3500 lockers in 45 locations and more than 1000 retail outlets to enable consumers and businesses to pick up or post their parcels more securely and out of hours. Owned by Singapore Post (SingPost), a leader in eCommerce logistics in the Asia Pacific and USA, CP’s international and domestic air services connect customers to countries all around the world. couriersplease.com.au

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed the announcement of first coal on the re-opening of the Millennium metallurgical coal mine at Coppabella in central Queensland.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said Queensland had much to gain from the ongoing strength of the met coal market.

“Metallurgical coal, which is essential for steelmaking, has surged to new high prices in recent weeks, driven by global demand,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“As Australia’s largest met coal supplier, Queensland’s commodities are creating jobs, creating investment in regional communities and delivering for all Queenslanders.”

The mine near Moranbah is a joint venture between Stanmore Resources and M Resources and was officially restarted in July, creating 330 jobs. It’s expected exports from the mine will begin by the end of the year.

“Queensland has what the world needs,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Our high-quality resources exports have helped keep Queensland’s economy strong during the Covid-19 pandemic, and they will be increasingly important as investment continues in the recovery phase around the world.

“The most recent forecasts from the Canberra-based Office of the Chief Economist have predicted Australia’s resources exports will hit a record $349 billion this financial year, driven by strong demand for Australia’s powerhouse commodities including coal and LNG. Those forecasts tip the value of met coal exports to hit $33 billion this financial year, up from $23 billion last year.

“Queensland resources sector is strong and diverse. Our traditional commodities including coal and gas have a strong future alongside new investments in Queensland’s renewables projects, hydrogen and critical minerals.

“We look forward to seeing the draft of the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan later this year, to provide a roadmap to keep the sector strong over the years and decades ahead.”

www.qrc.org.au

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A NEW PROGRAM to encourage people into engineering careers has been welcomed by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the employment-based, pre-apprenticeship pathway is a great initiative by the Queensland Government at a time when our sector is experiencing skills shortages.

“Skills shortages are the number one concern of our member CEOs, according to a recent QRC report and engineering is one of those critical shortage areas,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“The Pre-Apprenticeship Support program is also designed to increase the completion rate of apprenticeships. I applaud the Premier on the initiative, which includes a new Certificate I in Engineering to help people transition into an apprenticeship."

The two-year $25 million Pre-Apprenticeship Support program aims to support people looking to start a trade career or want to advance in their current trade, according to Mr Macfarlane.

“With the halt on skilled migration because of Covid-19 restrictions, we are also experiencing a shortage of trades people, so we really welcome programs that encourage people to take up trade careers," he said

Mr Macfarlane said the program complemented the efforts of QRC’s education arm, the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), which is on a mission to encourage young people into professional and trade careers, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous and female participation.

“Our sector has kept the Queensland economy afloat during Covid and will also lead us through the post-Covid recovery, so attracting and retaining a skilled workforce is vital,"Mr Macfarlane said.

“Despite the uncertainty and upheaval in 2020, the resources sector remained the largest source of Queensland’s merchandise exports.

“Over the 12 months to July 2021, resources exports made up $46 billion of the state’s total merchandise exports of $60 billion.”

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Joint Select Committee on Road Safety will hold further public hearings for its inquiry into Road Safety on October 12 and 14, 2021.

The hearing on October 12 will be an opportunity for the committee to hear from representative bodies and research institutions about road safety issues for specific cohorts of road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and members of the caravan industry, as well as about targeted measures that can be taken to reduce road trauma.

Committee Chair, Darren Chester MP said, "Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are at higher risk of death and serious injury when involved in a road traffic incident, and are overrepresented in road trauma statistics. Regrettably, these road users are often overlooked in road safety strategies in favour of improving safety for passenger vehicles.

"Further, road safety initiatives often group cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians together under the heading of 'vulnerable road users', notwithstanding that these groups of road users have very different wants and needs. Accordingly, the committee will hear about the particular concerns of road users other than passenger vehicles, and about targeted solutions to improve safety outcomes."

The hearing on October 14 will be an opportunity for the committee to hear from representative bodies and state and local governments about road safety in regional, rural, and remote areas. The committee will also consider road safety concerns facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and measures that can be taken at the state and local government level to address road trauma.

Mr Chester said, "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are overrepresented in road trauma statistics, highlighting the need for culturally appropriate countermeasures which prioritise self-determination and account for the social determinants of health. In addition, we continue to see higher rates of death and serious injury on regional, rural, and remote roads, with fatality rates associated with crashes on very remote roads more than 13 times higher than fatality rates in our major cities.

"Local governments, which are responsible for managing most of our road networks, will be critical to addressing road trauma outside of our major cities, and indeed at the national level. The work of state governments will also be crucial as we look to develop integrated, holistic, nationally consistent solutions. The committee looks forward to hearing from state and local government organisations about measures that can be taken to improve safety for all Australians."

Public hearing details

Date:               Tuesday, 12 October 2021
Time:              9.30am to 5pm

Witnesses:    

Amy Gillett Foundation
AusCycling
Streets Alive Yarra
Motorcycle Council of New South Wales
Australian Motorcycle Council
Riders Action Group Western Australia
WalkSydney
Pedestrian Council of Australia
Institute for Sensible Transport
Caravan Industry Association of Australia

Date:               Thursday, 14 October 2021
Time:              9.30am to 5pm

Witnesses:    

National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
National Rural Health Alliance
Australian Capital Territory Government
Tasmanian Government
Western Roads Federation
Western Australian Local Government Association
Northern Territory Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics
Municipal Association of Victoria

Programs for the hearings are available on the committee’s website.

Due to health and safety concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, hearings will be held remotely via videoconference and will not be open for public attendance. However, interested members of the public will be able to view proceedings via the live webcast at aph.gov.au/live.

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