"Victoria closed for business": Farmers slam bureaucratic barriers to Apollo Bay port access

Tasmania's peak body for farmers, TasFarmers, warns that excessive red tape in Victoria is compounding Tasmania's freight issues, discouraging investment, and undermining farmer confidence, effectively signalling that Victoria is closed for business.

The shipping company, Bass Strait Freight, has been seeking access to Victoria's Apollo Bay since 2022 to transport cattle and other produce to and from King Island to Victoria. 

TasFarmers President Ian Sauer said this was an example of the private sector attempting to solve a problem and invest its own money with their efforts being made utterly impossible by the port management bureaucracy at Apollo Bay.

"If you're a farmer on King or Flinders Island, you can't send your produce direct into Victorian markets or source farm inputs efficiently because the Apollo Bay port is tied up by red tape and uncooperative port management. 

The Bass Straight Freight Company is seeking to re-establish the freight service between King Island and Victoria. All sorts of bureaucratic road blocks are being used to delay what should be a very straight forward project with great benefits for the Port, local Victorian business and King Island Farmers.  

"We used to have a service between King Island and Melbourne which serviced 80% of the Island’s freight needs. It was cancelled in 2022 when the Tasmanian Government owned shipping service Bass Island Line withdrew the service.  Now we have a private Tasmanian business willing to step in to restore the essential direct link to Victoria, but they are being stonewalled by red and green tape. 

It's disgraceful and nothing short of schmozzle." Mr Sauer said. 

Mr Sauer further explained, "We know the Apollo Bay wharf can accommodate the boats. Under more cooperative port management, the same vessel ran to Apollo bay from King Island for 12 years. The vessel seeking to birth at the port has operated out of similar ports in Tasmania and Welshpool for nearly three decades. 

"The operator has submitted more than enough evidence, made more than enough concessions, and even proposed to run a trial to give authorities confidence in the service, all we can conclude is Victoria is closed for business," said Mr Sauer. 

Background: 

Apollo Bay is the closest commercial port to King Island on mainland Australia. Other port access into Victoria exists at Geelong, Port Melbourne, Welshpool and Portland. All these other ports require steaming twice the distance from the port of Grassy on King Island. It’s unacceptable that livestock need to be on the vessel for twice the time and much greater expense than is necessary.   

Apollo Bay is 146km from the commercial port of Grassy on King Island, whereas Welshpool and Portland are 282 km from Grassy. The smaller inter island vessels can’t be efficiently handled in big international ports of Melbourne or Geelong.  

Apollo Bay is an excellent regional port which has been constantly upgraded by the Victorian Government. It’s one of the best local ports in Bass Strait and there is a lot of potential for development within the port to create a regional freight hub to service King Island. Why Local port management have been so reluctant to allow the recommencement of the King Island freight link is a total mystery. 

The Victorian Government needs to urgently step in to support business development in the Apollo Bay and Colac region and to integrate the King Island farmers with Western Victorian beef processors and traders.