OVERVIEW
Ports Corporation of Queensland (PCQ) develops and manages sea port facilities that are vital to the export performance of Queensland and Australia. PCQ ports handle bulk shipments of coal, bauxite, zinc, silica sand, sugar and molasses, live cattle and general cargo. Coal is by far the main commodity handled, but each port and each commodity is important in its own right.
As a port authority, PCQ is responsible for:- strategic port planning
- port business development
- port infrastructure development
- environmental management and marine pollution (within port limits)
- port security and safety
- port efficiency
- maintaining navigable port depths for shipping
- issuing licences, leases and permits to other organisations for use of port land, infrastructure, and facilities (PCQ has a multi-user access policy in place at its ports to facilitate highest possible utilisation of port infrastructure, and greatest possible operational efficiency).
Port pilotage operations and navigation are controlled by Queensland Transport. Port stevedoring and towage services are outsourced to approved contractors.
PCQ HISTORY
PCQ was constituted in 1993 by an order of the Governor-in-Council under the Harbours Act 1955. On 1 July 1993, PCQ assumed management and control of the ports previously administered by the Harbours Corporation of Queensland.
On 1 July 1994, the organisation became a statutory Government Owned Corporation (GOC) under the Government Owned Corporations Act (GOC Act) and a port authority under the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994. Under the GOC Act, PCQ's activities are governed by: - a Statement of Corporate Intent, which is agreed annually between the organisation's Board and its Shareholding Ministers
- a five year Corporate Plan.
Work was undertaken during 2006-07 which resulted in PCQ becoming a company Government Owned Corporation as of 1 July 2007.
As a GOC, PCQ operates according to commercial principles, raises its own revenue, and makes dividend and tax equivalent payments to the Queensland Government.
While a much younger entity than the ports it manages, PCQ has access to technical information gathered over many years which assists infrastructure development projects. Some of the ports' operations can be traced back to the 1860s.
More than half of Queensland's exports, by tonnage, pass through PCQ ports. Over $15 billion in exports passed through PCQ ports in 2006-07.
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