Inquiry into Port of Melbourne's compliance with the Pricing Order 2026

We are conducting our second inquiry into the Port of Melbourne’s compliance with the Pricing Order, covering the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2026.

Inquiry commenced

1 July 2026

2026-06-30
Public forum

late August

2026-08-31
Submissions close

28 August 2026

2026-08-28
Report due to Assistant Treasurer

31 December 2026

2026-12-31
Public report released

early-mid January

2027-01-30

Overview

The Port of Melbourne services international and domestic shipping lines carrying containerised and general cargo to and from Melbourne through the Port Phillip Bay.

The Port's prescribed services are regulated by a Pricing Order (PDF), made under section 49A of the Port Management Act 1995 (Vic). An amendment (PDF) was made to the Pricing Order in May 2020.

The Pricing Order:

sets out the requirements for the Port including; how to calculate prices for prescribed services, the extent prices can change between years, and when the Port needs to apply to us for variations.
provides the Port a reasonable opportunity to recover the efficient costs of providing prescribed services such as wharfage, channels, berth or area hire and other ancillary services.

We have commenced our second inquiry

Every five years, we are required by the Port Management Act 1995 (Vic) to conduct a formal inquiry into the Port of Melbourne's compliance with the Pricing Order. We must complete the inquiry within six months of the end of each review period.

This is our second five-yearly review, covering the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2026.

We will provide a final inquiry report to the Assistant Treasurer by 31 December 2026.

Scope of our inquiry

We will assess:

whether the Port of Melbourne has complied with the Pricing Order during the review period
if any non-compliance was, in our view, non-compliance in a significant and sustained manner.

Further detail on our inquiry process and the legislative framework is available in our Statement of Regulatory Approach (PDF).

View the Port of Melbourne's tariff compliance statements

The Port submitted five tariff compliance statements for the period 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2026.

We prepared interim commentaries to provide guidance to the Port on its compliance with the Pricing Order and identify issues of importance for port users. These commentaries are not an assessment of the Port's compliance with the Pricing Order, nor do they provide findings on whether any non-compliance was significant and sustained.

Tariff compliance statements and interim commentaries

(, )

Consultation of port users and interested parties

We are seeking feedback from port users and interested parties. Visit Engage Victoria to provide your written submission to us by 5pm, 28 August 2026.

Public forum

We will hold a virtual public forum in late August 2026 to provide you with information on our inquiry process and opportunities to ask questions. To register, email your full name, email address, and organisation to ports@esc.vic.gov.au.