5368.0.55.018 - Information Paper: Experimental Statistics on International Shipping Container Movements, 2009-10  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/09/2011  First Issue
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RESULTS OF ABS ANALYSIS


It is important to note that the data tables and results presented here are experimental shipping container numbers, and therefore subject to change due to further research and analysis.

The ABS analysis identified that:

  • While statistics for a relatively large proportion of Tariff Classification Numbers might potentially enable the identification of an organisation and need to be confidentialised, these classifications represented a very small proportion of container movements (table 3)
  • Limiting information to the top 10 delivery postcodes for each port provides some useful information but is unlikely to be sufficient for the needs of all stakeholders

Table 3 shows that applying a simple but conservative confidentiality method, at the 8 digit TCN level, resulted in restrictions being applied on average to 24.5% of non-nil commodities but to only 1.3% of total TEUs. The percentage restricted is less at the broader levels of the classification.

Table 3 - Tariff Classification Number (TCN), by digit level, confidential cell count, TEU totals: averages - 2009-10*

TCN digit level
Average confidential cell count
Average confidential cells
Average blank cells
Average confidential TEU/total TEU
number
%
%
%

2
1
1.0
-
negligible
4
155
13.3
5.3
0.3
6
1039
23.0
10.6
1.2
8
1279
24.5
11.9
1.3

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
* Average of 12 individual months.


TARIFF CLASSIFICATION NUMBER (TCN) AT SIX DIGIT CODE LEVEL, low range cell values

An alternative method for minimising the possibility of releasing information that may enable the identification of an individual business is to suppress low value cells (table 4). In this study all cells with less than 5 TEU were identified. Before other necessary confidentiality restrictions were applied, the cell loss with this approach was approximately 40% of cells per month. This technique impacted on a fairly low proportion of TEU at approximately 2% per month. This method was rejected due to this high loss of cells.

Table 4 - Tariff Classification Number at 6 digit level by month, collapsed low value cell totals, % of TEU totals, container imports, 2009-10

Cell value range (less than 5)
Percentage of TEU
Month
%
%

July 2009
40.8
1.8
August
40.4
1.6
September
40.7
1.5
October
38.8
1.3
November
39.4
1.3
December
39.1
1.4
January 2010
38.0
1.4
February
38.6
1.5
March
39.0
1.5
April
39.5
1.5
May
38.3
1.4
June
39.9
1.5



AUSTRALIAN SEAPORTS AND CONTAINER DELIVERY POSTCODES

The distribution of containers from Australia’s five major seaports to delivery postcodes was investigated. The ports selected were Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle.

Table 5 shows the top 10 postcodes for each of these five ports along with a ratio of the TEUs for each postcode to the combined TEU for the top 10 postcodes, and the total TEUs for that port. The table shows that for each of the five ports the delivery postcode with the highest TEU ranged between around one fifth and just under one third of the total for each port’s top 10 postcodes.

For Sydney the delivery postcode of 2164 (which includes the suburbs of Smithfield, Wetherill Park and Woodpark) received 20% of all containers sent to the top 10 postcodes and 7% of all containers sent from the port. For Melbourne the delivery postcode of 3175 (which includes Dandenong, Bangholme and Dunearn) received 21% of all containers sent to the top 10 postcodes and 9% of all containers sent from the port. For the port of Brisbane the delivery postcode of 4178 (which includes the localities of Port of Brisbane, Wynnum and Lytton) received 18% of all containers sent to the top 10 postcodes and 9% of all containers sent from the port.

For Adelaide the delivery postcode of 5013 (which includes the suburbs of Rosewater, Gillman and Ottaway) received 30% of all containers sent to the top 10 postcodes, and 15% of all containers sent from the port. For the port of Fremantle the delivery postcode which received 19% of all containers sent to the top 10 postcodes, and 11% of all containers sent from the port, was 6106, which includes Welshpool, Kewdale, Cloverdale and Perth Airport.

The TEU of the top 10 delivery postcodes accounted for 61% of total port TEU for Fremantle. Brisbane recorded 51%, Adelaide recorded 49%, Melbourne (41%) and Sydney (37%).

This analysis indicates that statistics on the top 10 delivery postcodes for each port provides some very useful information but is unlikely to be sufficient for the needs of all stakeholders.

Maps presented later in this paper illustrate how these delivery postcodes align with container storage depot, handling and dispatch facilities for each of the five ports.

Table 5 - Top 10 Delivery Postcodes, by Port - for 5 ports (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle): TEU totals, imports - 2009-10

Rank
Delivery postcode
Postcode TEU/Top 10 postcodes TEU total
Postcode TEU total/ Port Aligned TEU total
%
%

Sydney

1
2164
20.1
7.4
2
2148
14.8
5.4
3
2170
13.8
5.1
4
2036
9.5
3.5
5
2565
8.1
3.0
6
2019
8.0
2.9
7
2142
6.8
2.5
8
2566
6.6
2.4
9
2766
6.3
2.3
10
2759
6.1
2.2
Total
100
36.7

Melbourne

1
3175
20.9
8.5
2
3026
17.8
7.2
3
3030
9.3
3.8
4
3061
8.7
3.5
5
3043
8.3
3.4
6
3025
8.0
3.2
7
3012
7.9
3.2
8
3018
6.8
2.8
9
3062
6.6
2.7
10
3168
5.8
2.4
Total
100
40.7

Brisbane

1
4178
18.1
9.3
2
4110
15.7
8
3
4014
13.2
6.8
4
4174
12
6.1
5
4009
7.9
4.1
6
4172
7.4
3.8
7
4106
7.3
3.7
8
4076
6.8
3.5
9
4108
6.5
3.3
10
4300
5.1
2.6
Total
100.0
51.2

Adelaide

1
5013
30.3
14.9
2
5015
11.3
5.6
3
5094
10.2
5
4
5031
10.2
5
5
5010
9.1
4.5
6
5095
8.4
4.2
7
5012
5.6
2.8
8
5112
5.6
2.7
9
5009
4.8
2.4
10
5113
4.7
2.3
Total
100
49.4

Fremantle

1
6106
18.6
11.4
2
6105
15.8
9.6
3
6163
14.9
9.1
4
6155
14.1
8.6
5
6090
8.6
5.3
6
6058
8.1
5
7
6017
6.9
4.2
8
6159
4.6
2.8
9
6065
4.3
2.6
10
6104
4.1
2.5
Total
100
61.2

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)


CONTAINER DELIVERY POSTCODES, Ports, aggregated to State & Territory

Delivery postcodes aggregated to State and Territory level for TEU totals for each of the five ports examined showed (not surprisingly) that the bulk of TEU for each port delivered within the state where the port was located (table 6). Around 90% of TEU was delivered to postcodes in each port’s respective state, ranging from a low of 88% for Victoria from the port of Melbourne, to a high of 92% for both Western Australia from the port of Fremantle and Queensland from the port of Brisbane. Both the state of South Australia and the combined state and territory of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory recorded 90% of Adelaide’s and Sydney’s TEU.

Around 10% of TEU discharged at a port were distributed to other states and territories. For example, 6% of containers discharged at Sydney went to Queensland and 3% to Victoria, while for the port of Melbourne 5% of TEU went to South Australia, and 5% of Brisbane TEU went to the combined New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

While only 5% of TEUs discharged at Melbourne (42,166 out of 826,025) were sent to South Australia, this compares to the total TEU of 60,942 discharged direct to the port of Adelaide.

Table 6 - Delivery postcode (aggregated to State & Territory), by Port - for 5 ports (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle): TEU totals, imports - 2009-10

State & Territory
State & Territory TEU total per Port
%

Sydney

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory
89.9
Victoria
2.8
Queensland
6.2
South Australia
0.3
Western Australia
0.7
Tasmania
0.1
Northern Territory
-
Unknown
-

Melbourne

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory
3.3
Victoria
87.9
Queensland
1.8
South Australia
5.1
Western Australia
1.4
Tasmania
0.5
Northern Territory
-
Unknown
0.1

Brisbane

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory
5.0
Victoria
2.3
Queensland
92.0
South Australia
0.3
Western Australia
0.3
Tasmania
-
Northern Territory
-
Unknown
0.1

Adelaide

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory
4.6
Victoria
4.1
Queensland
0.7
South Australia
89.9
Western Australia
0.5
Tasmania
0.1
Northern Territory
0.1
Unknown
0.1

Fremantle

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory
4.1
Victoria
2.1
Queensland
1.1
South Australia
0.6
Western Australia
92.1
Tasmania
-
Northern Territory
-
Unknown
0.1

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)


CONTAINER DELIVERY POSTCODE MAPS

The following maps illustrate TEU by range and location by delivery postcodes of import container movements for the top 10 TEU totals, for the ports of Sydney (New South Wales), Melbourne (Victoria), Brisbane (Queensland), Adelaide (South Australia) and Fremantle (Western Australia). They exclude container movements to regional areas, and interstate. Each map contains selected road and rail infrastructure and suburb information.

List of Maps:

MAP 1 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Sydney, 2009-10

The majority of port of Sydney containers were delivered to postcodes 2164 and 2148, which include the suburbs of Smithfield, Wetherill Park and Woodpark, and Blacktown, Arndell Park, Huntingwood, Kings Park, Marayong and Prospect.

Diagram: MAP 1 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Sydney, 2009-10


MAP 2 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Melbourne, 2009-10

The majority of port of Melbourne containers were delivered to postcodes 3175 and 3026, which include the suburbs of Dandenong and Bangholme, and Laverton North.

Diagram: MAP 2 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Melbourne, 2009-10


MAP 3 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Brisbane, 2009-10

The majority of port of Brisbane containers were delivered to postcodes 4178 and 4110, which include the suburbs and areas of Port of Brisbane, Wynnum and Lytton, and Acacia Ridge, Pallara, Heathwood, Willawong and Larapinta.

Diagram: MAP 3 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Brisbane, 2009-10


MAP 4 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Adelaide, 2009-10

The majority of port of Adelaide containers were delivered to facilities in the postcodes of 5013 and 5015, including the suburbs of Rosewater and Ottoway, and Port Adelaide, Gillman, New Port, Glanville, Ethelton and Birkenhead.

Diagram: MAP 4 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Adelaide, 2009-10


MAP 5 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Fremantle, 2009-10

The majority of port of Fremantle containers were delivered to facilities clustered in postcodes 6106 and 6105, which include the suburbs and areas of Welshpool, Kewdale, Cloverdale and Perth Airport.

Kewdale Freight Terminal, a large intermodal rail depot facility with containers delivered via the Fremantle to Kewdale rail linkage, is located in postcode 6105.

Diagram: MAP 5 - Top 10 container delivery postcodes for TEU totals, imports, Port of Fremantle, 2009-10